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Thursday, 28 March 2024

Secret Airbus design just might be future shape of airliners

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Secret Airbus design just might be future shape of airliners
Secret Airbus design just might be future shape of airliners

Airbus has revealed a previously secret model of a possible future airliner, and the design could mean big changes for the air travelers.

Julian Satterthwaite reports.

Airbus has unveiled what just might be the future shape of air travel.

The aerospace giant on Tuesday (February 11) revealed a hitherto secret scale-model test plane.

Dubbed Maveric, it's been undergoing tests at an undisclosed location in France.

The design is a so-called 'flying wing' or 'blended wing body'.

In itself, that's nothing new.

Think of the famous U.S. stealth bombers.

But it's never been tried for an airliner, because such planes pose a lot of challenges.

For one thing, they're much harder to control than conventional aircraft.

And with wide, square-shaped cabins, some passengers might find themselves a long way from any windows.

Airbus is consdering whether video screens could solve that problem.

And it says flying wing designs could slash fuel use and carbon emissions by 20%.

If that makes flying greener and more economical, such planes might one day become a more familiar sight.

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