“We know people want to fly more in the future and our forecasts support this. We also know that they don’t want to fly at any cost,” says Charles Champion, Executive Vice President Engineering at Airbus.
Recently, Airbus has launched its amazing plan for its vision for sustainable aviation in 2050 and beyond. There concept is based on an eco-efficient aviation industry of the future. .For the first time the vision looks beyond aircraft design to how the aircraft is operated both on the ground and in the air in order to meet the expected growth in air travel in a sustainable way.
A short survey by them states that
In 2010 we asked 10,000 people around the globe, who will be passengers in 2050, what they will want from air travel. Their answer was clear: cheaper, greener and more fun!
In 2012, another 10,000 have told us what they want from the future of flight: more sustainable; less stressful; and more of it, despite social media revolutionising how we keep in touch.
• 63% of people worldwide say they will fly more by 2050
• 60% do not think social media will replace the need to see people face-to-face
• 96% believe aircraft will need to be more sustainable or ‘eco-efficient’
• Almost 40% feel air travel (door-to-door) is increasingly stressful
• 86% of people think less fuel burn is key and 85% a reduction in carbon emissions
• 66% want quieter aircraft and 65% planes which are fully recyclable
And what's there thought regarding it, they say
Already today, if the Air Traffic Management (ATM) system and technology on board the aircraft were optimised, Airbus research based on recent research suggests that flights in Europe and the US could on average be around 13 minutes shorter, and flights in other parts of the world could be shorter too. Assuming around 30 million flights per year, this would save around 9 million tonnes of excess fuel annually, which equates to over 28 million tonnes of avoidable CO2 emissions and a saving of 5 million hours of excess flight time. Add to this new aircraft design, alternative energy sources and new ways of flying and you could see even more significant improvements.
The Future by Airbus concentrates on just that and the Smarter Skies vision consists of five concepts which could be implemented across all the stages of an aircraft’s operation to reduce waste in the system (waste in time, waste in fuel, reduction of CO2). These are:
Aircraft take-off in continuous ‘eco-climb’
· Aircraft launched through assisted take-offs using renewably powered, propelled acceleration, allowing steeper climb from airports to minimise noise and reach efficient cruise altitudes quicker.
· As space becomes a premium and mega-cities become a reality, this approach could also minimise land use, as shorter runways could be utilised.
Aircraft in free flight and formation along ‘express skyways’
· Highly intelligent aircraft would be able to “self-organise” and select the most efficient and environmentally friendly routes (“free flight”), making the optimum use of prevailing weather and atmospheric conditions.
· High frequency routes would also allow aircraft to benefit from flying in formation like birds during cruise bringing efficiency improvements due to drag reduction and lower energy use
Low-noise, free-glide approaches and landings
· Aircraft allowed to take free glide approaches into airports that reduce emissions during the overall decent and reduce noise during the steeper approach as there is no need for engine thrust or air breaking.
· These approaches would also reduce the landing speed earlier which would make shorter landing distances achievable (less runway needed).
Low emission ground operations
· On landing aircraft engines could be switched off sooner and runways cleared faster, ground handling emissions could be cut.
· Technology could optimise an aircraft’s landing position with enough accuracy for an autonomous renewably powered taxiing carriage to be ready, so aircraft could be transported away from runways quicker, which would optimise terminal space, and remove runway and gate limitations.
Powering future aircraft and infrastructure
· The use of sustainable biofuels and other potential alternative energy sources (such as electricity, hydrogen, solar etc) will be necessary to secure supply and further reduce aviation’s environmental footprint in the long term. This will allow the extensive introduction of regionally sourced renewable energy close to airports, feeding both aircraft and infrastructure requirements sustainably.
We can eagerly wait and watch this revolutionary stage being converted into reality steps by steps !!