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London - Over 60% of people worldwide want to fly more by
2050, but almost all - 96% - believe aircraft need to be more environmentally
efficient, according to a study from aircraft maker Airbus.
With findings drawn from a 10 000-strong survey, the
planemaker also consulted with 1.75 million people in 192 countries over a
two-year period to gain a better understanding of the public perception of air
travel's future.
Released three days before the Farnborough International
Airshow, the study indicates that quieter aircraft are important (backed by 66%
of respondents), while almost 40% felt the air travel experience is
increasingly stressful.
Respondents' gripes included queues at passport control; slow
check-in and baggage collection; sitting on the tarmac; and circling in holding
patterns around airports.
"Capacity constraints are a sign of things to come
unless the industry can work together to cut delays, and with aviation set to
double in the next 15 years, that's what we're looking at," Airbus
executive vice-president, engineering Charles Champion said in a press
statement.
Airbus, part of European aerospace group EADS, carried out
the research alongside development of a "Concept Plane" which illustrates
what air transport could look like as early as 2030, though more likely by
2050.
The graceful, spaceship-like prototype brandishes long, slim
wings, semi-embedded engines, a U-shaped tail and lightweight fuselage. The
result, Airbus says, will be lower fuel burn and a significant cut in
emissions.
Airbus has also rethought cabin configuration, replacing
first, business and economy classes with personalised zones. Passengers would
be able to stargaze through a transparent wall membrane from "morphing"
seats that harvest body heat for power.
Champion told Reuters the Concept was built to add to the
debate and try to visualise what future flight could look like.
"We wanted to know if people still wanted to fly - what
are the priorities of the generation of today. It was an interesting exercise
and enthusiasm for flight has motivated our engineers into designing great new
ways to fly in the future."
Face to face
Despite social media and video messaging revolutionising the
way people keep in touch, 60% of respondents in the Airbus study did not think
technology will replace the need to see contacts face to face.
"Aviation is the real World Wide Web," Champion
said. "The world is woven together by a web of flights that creates
ever-expanding social and economic networks: 57 million jobs, 35% of world
trade, and $2.2 trillion in global GDP (gross domestic product)."
Airbus says that more than 90% of the €2bn it spends
annually on research and development is directed at improving the environmental
performance of its aircraft, and points out that a passenger on its flagship
A380 uses just three litres of fuel to travel 100km - the same as a small
family car.
Once it enters service in late 2015, the A320neo's engines
will, the planemaker predicts, provide up to 15% in fuel savings, while the
lightweight carbon-plastic A350 XWB is set to provide a 25% step-change in fuel
efficiency from its planned early-2014 launch.
The aviation industry as a whole has, says Airbus, reduced
fuel burn and emissions by 70% and noise by 75%t in the last 40 years. Carbon
neutral growth is a target for 2020, with a 50% net CO2 emissions reduction by
2050.
Half of these savings will come from better air traffic
management, says Airbus.
In the meantime, the planemaker isn't finding local
environmental regulations helpful.
Airbus has blamed European Union moves to tackle carbon
emissions for the suspension of long-distance jet orders worth up to $14bn, and
has backed China's refusal to accept the EU's emissions trading scheme.
Opponents of the scheme, which include the United States and other nations, have called for a unilateral emission-reduction plan from ICAO, the United Nations body which oversees civil aviation, to be agreed by all 191 members.
