Future air travel: 7 technologies that may make flights more sustainable

SUMMARY

Here is a look at seven technologies that the aviation industry is working on to make future air travel a more sustainable and environment-friendly experience, as per an Airbus report:

By CNBCTV18.comSept 22, 2021 4:48:17 PM IST (Published)

Air travel has largely remained suspended or is restricted to domestic travel owing to the global coronavirus pandemic outbreak. But even amid the pandemic, several environmentalists and even aerospace industry leaders have expressed concern about the CO2 emissions by the flying machines. Nearly all stakeholders in the aviation industry unanimously admit that the sudden onset of the pandemic in early 2020 has accelerated the need for better efficiencies, a major portion of which includes reducing the impact on the environment. But do we know some of the ways in which aviation is being made more sustainable? Let us take a look:

Turbofan engine: Hybrid hydrogen turbofan engines will provide thrust, with the liquid hydrogen storage and distribution system located behind the rear pressure bulkhead.

Turboprop engine: Hybrid-hydrogen turboprop engines, which drive eight-bladed propellers, provide thrust, where liquid hydrogen storage and distribution system is located behind the rear pressure bulkhead.

Blended wing body: The wide interior opens up multiple options for hydrogen storage and distribution. Here, the liquid hydrogen storage tanks are stored underneath the wings. Two hybrid-hydrogen turbofan engines provide thrust.

Retrofitting older planes with hydrogen fuel cell engines.: The retrofit will seek to prove to the airline industry that hydrogen can work for regional aircraft travelling several hundred miles, even if fuel cells remain a stretch for long-haul flights.

Diversification of aviation fuels: Another way to more sustainable aviation is to diversify fuel types by using sustainable aviation fuels, which can be produced from plants, algae, cooking oil, and even municipal waste.

Electric propulsion: Smaller planes could use electric propulsion powered by batteries, which would make air travel more sustainable and environment-friendly.

Mix-match of aircraft technologies: Future environmentally sustainable aircraft designs are likely to be divided into two main categories depending on their size and range: 1. Regional - short-range powered by hybrid and distributed propulsion; and 2. Long and medium-range powered with ultra-efficient gas turbines and novel engine concepts.