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8/2/2019 Airbus the Future by Airbus June 2011
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8/2/2019 Airbus the Future by Airbus June 2011
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Everybody knows that people need and want to
travel. They always have and they always will.
We surveyed over 10,000 people around the world
who will be passengers in 2050 to ask what theywant rom the aviation industry in the uture.
Their message was clear – we need to help as
many people as possible share in the benets that
air transport brings, but we need to achieve this
while looking ater the environment.
Demand or air travel will continue to grow, because
it drives so much o the world’s social and economic development. But those
who benet and those who work in the aviation industry are also sensitive to the
impact o their choices on the environment.
In the last 40 years we’ve made huge strides in terms o reducing costs,
slashing emissions and reducing noise, which means we already have a good
understanding o the issues involved in meeting those demands. You only have
to look at the A380, A350XWB or A320neo to see how ar we have come.
Now we are ocusing on the challenges that have to be addressed i we are
to achieve even more progress or 2050 and beyond – this can be anything
rom energy sources and air trac management to new aircrat designs and
integrated transport networks.
The uture by Airbus highlights some o the challenges and decisions that lie
ahead in creating a more connected and a more sustainable world. For example,
should the industry go or huge uel savings at the expense o noise? Is it okay
or costs to increase i it makes recycling easier? When and how will air transport
make the big switch away rom kerosene? Is the education system going to
deliver enough talented people to nd the solutions?
Foreword ............................................................................................................3
The passenger o 2050 .......................................................................................5
Future energy sources .........................................................................................6
Unlocking transport congestion ..........................................................................9
A whole new way to fy ......................................................................................11
The Airbus Concept Plane ................................................................................13
The Airbus Concept Cabin ................................................................................17
Biomimicry ........................................................................................................24
Future talent ......................................................................................................27
Fly Your Ideas ....................................................................................................29
Conclusion ........................................................................................................30
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Our global survey asked the young people that will be passengers in 2050 about
their vision o air travel or tomorrow. It revealed that 7 in 10 people expect to fy
more in the uture, in greener aircrat, with access to their ‘digital world’ in fight.
Environmental issues were o concern to one in ve citizens across the globe,particularly amongst people rom Germany and China, ollowed by those rom
Japan, France and the United Kingdom.
Behind the numbers is a belie that we will live in an increasingly multicultural world.
Economic growth was rated the top reason or fying abroad, with a high expectation
in China, Singapore and Mexico; 46% cited a growing desire to travel urther and
experience more o our planet; and 37% the need or greater fexibility between lie
at home and place o work. At the same time, independent orecasts predict the
global population will increase to over nine billion.
The Passenger 2050 survey told us that people will want cabins with radical interiors
that interact with the environment outside and meet their emotional needs; the
ability to access all the technological advances that ll their daily lives and a choice
between speed and a more leisurely but indulgent experience (with as many as a
third saying they wanted the fight itsel to eel like a holiday experience).
The uture passengers said they want
to be able to individualise their travel
experience by “clustering” together
a series o themes and technologicaleatures, which will make their travel
experience unique to their individual
needs, creating a truly class-less
environment.
There may be some huge step changes ahead or the aviation industry, but it’s clear
that one thing won’t change – the importance o passenger needs at the centre o
any decisions.
Our experts are already looking at some o these issues today. The Airbus Concept
Plane and Cabin and The uture by Airbus lm are just engineers’ dreams, and the
entries or the Fly Your Ideas student challenge are just that – ideas. But they oer
a glimpse o some o the very real possibilities that existing technology and talent can
oer – with the right investment, support and co-operation.
The uture by Airbus is about our commitment to meeting people’s needs or the
uture and to encouraging them to play a part in helping to shape that uture – their
uture – our uture.
Sometimes in lie you can’t settle or the easy option. You need to aim high and go
or the very best solution possible. At Airbus we still dare to dream and we hope that
The uture by Airbus will inspire policy makers, investors, suppliers, airlines, teachers,researchers and young people everywhere to be part o the solution or a better
world in 2050 and beyond.
Charles Champion
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Like most types o transport, fying depends on ossil uels. But as everybody knows,
supplies are running out, they damage the environment and they are expensive.
In the last orty years aircrat uel burn and CO2
emissions have been cut by 70%.
The industry contributes to 2% to man-made CO2
emissions, 80% o which are rom
fights o over 1,500km/900 miles or which there is no practical alternative.
As demand or air transport grows we need to improve this perormance even more,
which is why the aviation industry is determined to achieve carbon neutral
growth rom 2020 and to cut CO2
emissions in hal by 2050
(compared to 2005).
So we need to ensure that every drop o uel is used
eciently and to develop new ecologically sound
alternatives.
Biouels Traditionally, carbon based/kerosene-like uels
have proven to be the best energy carrier or
aircrat, because o properties like their ability
to maintain stable temperatures. Biouels oer
many o the same benets and every aircrat in
the world could use them immediately withouthaving to change the inrastructure.
Biouels are made rom living things or the waste
they produce. Airbus encourages the development o
second generation biouels, known as biomass, which
avoid competing with ood resources. Some options
being looked at include algae, woodchip waste, camelina,
halophytes such as salicornia (plants growing in salt
water), waste produce and yeast.
For example, i you give certain types o algae seawater, sun and carbon (the
same carbon we are trying to get rid o), they become a ‘biomass’ plant. With over
200,000 types o algae suitable or research, they oer promising options or large
scale production.
Through value chain projects, Airbus
also uses local knowledge to identiy
the best choice o biouels or each
country by helping to connect
armers, reners, governments and
airlines. Farmers are encouraged to
use non-arable land in the condence
that their crop will be bought byreners, and, o course, producing
the uel close to where the airlines need it also minimises emissions rom
transportation. Five programmes have already been established in Brazil, Qatar,
Romania, Spain and Mexico, with others due to be added in Arica and Asia.
I biouels can be produced in sucient quantities or commercial use, Airbus believes
that they could already provide up to 30% o all commercial aviation jet uel by 2030.
While plants like camelina
are a more likely source o
sustainable biouels in the
short term, experts are also
studying options like algae
or longer term solutions
Fuel cells
A uel cell is a device that transorms the energy o hydrogen into electricity (by
combining the hydrogen with oxygen in a ‘cold’ combustion). The only waste is
water, heat and oxygen depleted air, so no emissions and no noise!
What’s more, the water produced rom the process can be used by the aircrat’s
water and waste systems, which saves extra water having to be carried on board.
This reduces weight, which in turn reduces uel burn and emissions even urther.
It is unlikely that uel cell technology will be used as the mainpower source in the near uture. Instead engineers are
looking at using it or the cabin and aircrat
systems, to power things like air
conditioning or starting the
engine.
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With the world’s population about to reach 7 billion, more than 2.5 billion passengers
already fy each year. With another 2 billion people expected to be living on the planet by
2050, there are going to be a lot more people on the move.
According to the Air Transport Association (IATA), reducing fight time by even one minute
globally would save 4.8 million tonnes o CO2
every year. So as well as nding ways to
reduce the amount o emissions created by aircrat when they fy between airports, we also
need to nd ways to avoid having uel guzzling trac jams above and around the airports.
I there is already such a big challenge today and by 2050 there could be our times as
many planes but less ground space available or airports, how can we keep the skies sae
and reduce emissions?
What is Airbus doing?
European airspace is among the most crowded in the world, with over 33,000 fights on
busy days. Airports like New York’s JFK have nearly 600 aircrat taking o every day -
almost hal o them within a six hour peak time window. And, nearly three quarters o the
world’s air trac passes through just 114 airports (out o more than 2,300)!
That’s why Airbus is involved in projects on both sides o the Atlantic to help improve air
trac management. The Single European Sky Air Trac Management Research (SESAR)
and its North American cousin, The Next Generation Air Transportation System,
(NextGen) are initiatives that will help provide quickerfights, shorter routes and, thereore, less uel burn,
emissions and congestion in the uture.
Solar powerSolar power is the perect renewable energy in many ways, but unortunately it has
limited use on aircrat because o the way it creates and stores power on board. While
it can provide enough power or small aircrat to fy, it’s unlikely to be a practical solution
when it comes to getting larger, commercial airliners into the sky.
The technology might take a giant leap
orward, but today, even i an entire aircrat
was covered with the most ecient solar
panels available, it would still not be
enough to propel a large aircrat. However,
in the more immediate uture, solar powercould provide electricity on board the
aircrat once it has reached altitude or help
reduce uel burn and emissions during
ground operations around airports.
Energy harvesting
Some o the energy sources being investigated by 2050 might seem aretched by
today’s standards. What about harvesting body heat or example? Instead o producing
energy, this would simply collect energy,
rom say the passenger ’s seat, and redirect
it to power some o the aircrat unctions,
like the cabin lights. It might seem crazy –
but i you had asked somebody 40 years
ago about a double-decker aircrat that
carried more than 800 people but was
more ecient than a small amily car you
might have got the same reaction!
By 2050 there could be our times as
many planes but less ground space
available or airports, how can we keep
the skies sae and reduce emissions?
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Formation ying
As well as nding solutions to this problem by working with engineers, we might also be
able to nd some just by taking a look at nature around us.
In nature, large birds sometimes fy together to save energy and travel urther. When
fying in ormation – as you see with migrating geese or ducks – the leading bird’s wings
generate whirling masses o air. The ollowing bird benets rom this air current to get
some ree extra lit, which means it needs to use less energy to fy.
Aircrat wings create the same eect, which we call a trailing vortex. Military pilots oten
use the same ormation fying techniques to reduce the amount o energy – uel burn –
that they use.
At the moment, passenger aircrat do not use this technique because o saety
concerns. However, Airbus is working with some o its partners to explore this idea
as a way to reduce both uel burn and emissions on long distance fights. In act, this
approach was also proposed by a young team o graduate engineers who made it to
the nal o the Airbus Fly Your Ideas challenge.
In the past, air travel has mainly ocussed on getting people rom A to B as saely and as
quickly as possible. But in the uture, travelling could be an entirely dierent experience -integrating dierent stages o the journey, making the trip so enjoyable that passengers
won’t want to arrive, or even changing the way you pay.
Pop on a pod
What good are more comortable, eco-ecient aircrat i the passengers have to waste
hours on end in crowded airports? The airports o the uture will have to be much more
practical than today.
Perhaps taking a plane could become as
simple as taking the underground, using
the same style o boarding platorms right
alongside. Or perhaps passengers will
already be seated in cabin pods beore the
plane actually arrives, ready just to collect
the pre-loaded passengers, saving time
and making lie simpler.
Cruising the sky
Speedier air travel may not suit everyone. A lot o people simply love the experience o being above the clouds and away rom it all.
So perhaps the next generation o cruise
ships will be in the sky, not the sea, with
packages to suit everyone – complete
with swimming pools, spas and even
gol courses. And perhaps you won’t
even have to pay or your ticket, with the
operators making their money rom casino
takings, restaurants and other attractions.
Formation fying: Airbus is working with
some o its partners to explore this ideaas a way to reduce both uel burn and
emissions on long distance fights
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Aircrat carriers
Hundreds o fights already take place
on popular long distance routes like
rom Europe to the US, Asia or Australia
and there will be a lot more by 2050.
So, instead o operating dozens o
separate fights, perhaps we could
have giant aircrat carriers. Smaller
aircrat could dock on them or most
o the journey – perhaps using verticaltake-o and landing – then just provide
a more localised shuttle service at either
end o the trip. The size o these new
generation aircrat carriers might even
open up new possibilities or the type
o energy that could be used to power
them.
Airbus experts in aircrat materials, aerodynamics and engines came up with a
Concept Plane design that is an ‘engineer’s dream’.
More than a fight o pure antasy, The Airbus Concept Plane embodies what
air transport could look like in 2050 – even 2030 i advancements in existing
technologies continue apace. Ultra long and slim wings, semi-embedded engines,
a U-shaped tail and lightweight intelligent body all eature to urther improve
environmental perormance or ‘eco-eciency’. The result is lower uel burn, a
signicant cut in emissions, decreased noise pollution and greater comort.
The Airbus Concept Plane brings together a package o technologies, which
although easible, are unlikely ever to coexist in this manner. So it is not a plane
that will fy, but it stretches the imagination o engineers, it highlights some o the
challenges and decisions that lie ahead or air travel, and it illustrates the main
technologies being explored in anticipation o the uture needs o passengers and
their planet.
Vertical take-o and landing
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Confgured
wingspan
Longer and slimmer
wings glide better
through the skies,as the fow o air over the wing surace
reduces drag and in turn, improves uel
eciency.
Intelligent materials
New lightweight ‘smart’
materials sense the load
they are under, making
or a lighter aircrat that
draws less uel and curbs emissions.
Manuacturing
methods
New manuacturing
methods will reduce the
cost and environmental
impact o building the
aircrat despite the new advance materials
and complex shapes.
Doors
Entrance/exit
doorways are
double doors to
allow or aster,
easier boarding.
Engines
Engines will be more reliable, quieter
and uel-ecient. The positioning o the
engines, at the rear and semi-embedded,
ully optimises the aircrat or lower uel
burn. The engine placement also boosts
cabin comort through
decreased noise levels.
The engines can beincorporated into the
aircrat body because
technological advances will have reached
such a level that superior engine reliability
will diminish the need or immediate
access to its components.
Empennage
The empennage (tail section o the aircrat)
is U-shaped, acting as a shield to reduce
external noise pollution. The concept
plane does not use a vertical tail, as seen
on the planes o today. Vertical tails are
required when engines
are installed on the
wings as they provide
directional stability in
case o engine ailure.
The engines o the uture will have no risk
o ailure, eliminating the need or a
vertical tail.
Fuselage
The uselage (central
body o the aircrat)
is no longer a simple
tube but is curved and
shaped to provide more internal space orvarious cabin congurations, with better
aerodynamics outside to improve fight.
The uselage and entire aircrat structure
is manuactured entirely rom composite
to take advantage o the easy-to-shape
characteristics o the material.
Electrical systems The electrical system will continuously
monitor its own state o health,
anticipating any need or maintenance
and automatically scheduling this well
in advance. Electronics and other
systems on board
will be entirely sel-
sucient, requiring
minimum to zero
maintenance.
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Getting the balance right
The Concept Plane is unique because it can
bring together dierent technologies, without
having to worry about the impact o one on
the others – so it represents the best o all
worlds. In reality engineers have to nd the
best balance o technologies, depending on
what the priorities are.
So or example, chart 1 shows that i you
introduce new technology that improvesuel burn, emissions and the passenger
experience, the perormance on noise, costs
and productivity may be reduced.
Likewise, chart 2 shows that i you
concentrate on reducing noise and
simpliying operations, the uel burn and
emissions could be less impressive, and the
aircrat may be more dicult to manuacture
and recycle.
However, as time progresses, new
technologies mature and can be used to
expand capabilities in the desired direction,
as shown in chart 3.
Based on extensive research into the way the world’s population is changing, the
Airbus Concept Cabin illustrates what the uture o fight might look like rom the
passengers’ perspective. Inspired by nature – and designed to protect it - aircrat
cabins o the uture will be customised to the needs o individual passengers.
In the Concept Cabin First, Business and Economy class are replaced by zones
that target more individual needs like relaxing, playing games, interacting with other
passengers or even with people on the ground. The cabin’s bionic structure and
responsive membrane combines panoramic views with an integrated neural network,
which can identiy and respond to the specic needs o each passenger. And the
ttings and urnishings will take care o their own cleaning and repairs thanks to
innovations inspired by nature, like dirt repellent coatings and sel healing covers.
By oering dierent levels o experience, airlines would be able to achieve the price
dierential they need to operate a successul business, give more people access to
the benets o air travel and still look ater the environment.
By 2050 the world’s population is
expected to increase to 9.1 billion1.
But who will these people be and how
will they want to fy?
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Biopolymer membrane
The cabin’s bionic structure
will be coated with a
biopolymer membrane,
which controls the amount
o natural light, humidity
and temperature, providing
opacity or transparency on
command and eliminating
the need or windows. This
smarter structure will make
the aircrat lighter and
more uel-ecient whilegiving passengers 360
degree views o the skies.
This will oer unparalleled,
unobstructed views o
the wonders o the ve
continents – where you will
be able see the pyramids
or the Eiel Tower through
the transparent foor o the
aircrat.
Composite materials
Future materials may not
even be the materials
we see and use today.
‘Composite’ materials will
be used – new matter
made o a combination o
dierent materials. In the
uture materials may noteven take a solid state, but
could be a composition o
fuid and gas or example!
While the Concept Plane
shows how advanced
materials can create
a high perormance
aircrat with a more
traditional look, the
Concept Cabin provides
a little taste o some o
the alternatives.
Bionic structures
Future aircrat could be built
using a bionic structure
that mimics the bonestructure o birds. Bone
is both light and strong
because its porous interior
carries tension only where
necessary, leaving space
elsewhere. By using bionic
structures, the uselage has
the strength it needs, but
can also make the most o
extra space where required.
This not only reduces the
aircrat’s weight and uel
burn, but also makes it
possible to add eatures like
oversized doors or easier
boarding and panoramic
windows.
The cabin’s bionic structure and
responsive membrane combines
panoramic views with an integrated
neural network based on the human
nervous system
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Sel-reliant materials
Materials will be sel-
cleaning. Think o
the leaves o a lotus
plant, which water rolls
o in beads, taking
contaminants with it.
Today, coatings inspired
by this are used on
the suraces o cabin
bathrooms. In the uture
they will be ound on the
abric o seats and thecarpets.
These intelligent materials
could also be sel-repairing,
which is already used
today in surace protection.
Certain paints can seal a
scratch by themselves, just
as the human skin does.
Ecological materials
The uture passenger cabin
will be ully ecological. Fully
recyclable plant bres that
can be grown to a custom
shape will be sourced
rom responsible and
sustainable practices.
Integrated neural
network
The cabin electrical system
can be compared to
the human brain, with a
network o intelligence
pulsating through the
cabin. This network will be
absorbed into the structural
materials, making the
hundreds o kilometres o
cables and wires ound in
today’s aircrat a thing o the past. Known as ‘Smart’
materials they can perorm
numerous unctions,
recognising the passenger,
so that you too are
‘connected’ to the plane.
Morphing materials
Materials that change
shape and return to their
initial orm, growing like the
leaves o a plant, are a very
real possibility. Morphing
materials might be metals
or polymers that have a
‘memory’; or are covered
with a ‘skin’ that will
instigate a shape change.
A memory is created
using sensor and activatorsystems that give materials
a certain level o articial
intelligence, allowing them
to adapt to the passengers’
needs. The uture passenger cabin will be
ully ecological
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Holographic technology
will have advanced
to such a degree that
the virtual world will be
indistinguishable rom the
real.
Energy harvesting
Smart energy solutions
such as energy harvesting
will be a part o the cabin
environment. The body
heat you give out will be
collected by your seator pod as you relax or
sleep, and combined with
energy collected rom other
sources, like solar panels,
to uel cabin appliances.
3D printing
Some o the elements in the
cabin could be created using
additive layer manuacturing,
which is a bit like printing in
3D. The process repeatedly
prints very thin layers o
material on top o each
other until the layers orm
a solid object in materials
ranging rom high-grade
titanium alloys to glass and
concrete. As well as makingit simpler to produce very
complex shapes, this orm o
production wastes a lot less
material than cutting shapes
out o bigger blocks. While
this technique is already
being tested or small aircrat
parts today, in the uture, its
use could be widespread
– not only in industry but in
people’s homes!
Holographic technology
Scenes showing the
destination, a city skyline
or a tropical orest, will be
projected onto the walls.
A private cabin can refect
your bedroom at home, a
business conerence or evena zen garden, thanks to the
projection o virtual decors.Smart energy solutions such as
energy harvesting will be a part o the
cabin environment
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What do Velcro, Michael Phelps’ sharkskin swimsuit and the world’s largest passenger
aircrat – the Airbus A380 – have in common? The answer rests in a growing eld o scientic study through which modern engineers, scientists and architects are looking not
at what we can extract rom the natural world but what we can learn rom it.
This is known as ‘biomimicry’ or biologically inspired engineering. Simply put, it’s the
study and imitation o nature’s best ideas to help solve human challenges. A growing
number o aeronautical innovations are inspired by an array o natural structures, organs
and materials – and these tried and tested patterns o the natural world
will continue to be a powerul source o inspiration in the uture.
When nature has solutions like this to oer, it’s clear why we
all have an interest in protecting the world around us.
The lotus eect
The surace o a lotus lea has evolved to
keep it clean and dry by causing rainwater to
roll o and take any dirt with it. Known as the
“lotus eect”, these properties have inspired
coatings or cabin ttings, which shed water
in beads, taking contaminants with them. This
improves hygiene and reduces the amount o waterneeded. This in turn reduces the weight o the aircrat
and, thereore, the amount o uel burn and carbon emissions.
This innovation is already used on the suraces o Airbus cabin bathrooms
today and in the uture will be ound on the abric o seats and carpets.
One o the teams in the nal o this year’s Fly Your Ideas competition has also been
inspired to use the lotus technique on the outside o the aircrat.
Moveable wing suraces
In the same way that sea birds sense gust loads in the air
with their beaks and react by adjusting the shape o their
wing eathers to suppress lit, probes in the nose o the
new Airbus A350XWB detects gusts ahead o the wing
and deploy moveable suraces or more ecient fight.
This helps reduce uel burn and, thereore, emissions.
Eagle inspired winglets
I the wings o large birds o prey like the Steppe Eagle
were too long, their turning circle would be too big to
t inside the rising columns o warm air which they use
to soar. The eagle’s wings perectly balance maximumlit with minimum length by curling eathers up at the
tips until they are almost vertical. This provides a barrier
against the vortex or highly ecient fight. I built to a
conventional design, the A380’s wingspan would have
been three metres too long or the world’s airports. But thanks to small devices known
as ‘winglets,’ which mimic the upward curl o the eagle’s eathers, the A380’s wings are
20cm inside airport limits but still provide enough lit or the world’s largest passenger
aircrat to fy eciently – saving uel, lowering emissions and reducing airport congestion.
The silent ight o the owl
The long-eared owl is a truly silent hunter. Over 20 million
years, owls have evolved serrated eathers on their
wings and downy eathers on their legs, which minimise
aerodynamic noise. While modern aircrat already produce
75% less noise than those built 40 years ago, Airbus
engineers are studying owls to urther unlock the secrets
o silent fight. Ideas include a retractable brush-like ringe to mimic the owls’ trailing
eathers and velvety coating on aircrat landing gear.
The use o bionics
In the biological world many creatures, such as bees and
butterfies, use lightweight, active skeletal structures or a
variety o purposes. These examples have inspired Airbus
to consider the use o such ‘bionic structures’ as part o
uture aircrat structures. I the aerodynamic suraces could
be made lighter or more adaptive to the local environment
then the weight o the aircrat could be reduced with
benets in the orm o reduced emissions. Airbus engineers are also exploring nature
inspired manuacturing techniques to create ‘bionic bones’, which may enable such
lightweight active structures on the aircrat o tomorrow.
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‘Groovy’ shark skin
Remember Michael Phelps’ sharkskin swimsuit? Well
the same principles could be applied to the exterior o
an aircrat. The skin o a shark is covered by microscopic
grooves that scientists have ound actually reduces their
drag through the water, allowing the shark to conserve
energy as it searches or ood. For over thirty years this
‘groovy skin’ concept has been investigated and tested by
aerospace engineers and is eventually being adapted and applied to the construction
o Airbus aircrat. Just as a shark can minimise the energy it expends in motion, these
microscopic grooves can help to reduce the uel burnt by a jet aircrat.
Buttery wings Butterfies and insects are some o the most beautiul
and delicate creatures on the planet, which belies the
antastically intricate mechanisms in their wing structure,
designed to achieve optimum eciency in fight. Sot
membrane and blood vessels (micro-capillaries) can stien
or relax to allow the wing to adapt to every stage o fight.
Airbus engineers have similarly developed aircrat wings
that naturally turn and twist in fight, but i this could be controlled then their eciency
could be enhanced, reducing the uel burnt during fight. Engineers are researching the
possibility o using small movable suraces and active internal structural components as
part o an aircrat wing to mimic the way micro-capillaries in a butterfy’s wing make or
more ecient fight in the uture.
Many thanks to the team at Wildscreen’s ARKive project or the images representing
biomimicry you see here. Discover thousands o photos o endangered species and
uture inspiration at www.arkive.org
The world will be very dierent in many ways by 2050, but one thing will not change.
We will still need great people to make it even better!
Airbus knows it will take the very best talent to create a more connected and a more
sustainable world. Even once we’ve ound the right combination o people, we need to
make sure that we can support them by providing the best training and acilities. But
what will that look like by 2050 – when the schoolchildren o today will be creating the
next generation o air transport?
Nurturing talent
Airbus is committed to ensuring training and development is at the heart o its business,
either within Airbus or in the wider community.
Airbus identies the skills and technologies that will be needed many years rom now
and works with education institutions and other organisations to see where we can use
our own experience to support young people. It could be about lobbying governments
or more investment in education, helping to ensure that students get the right sort o
education or a career in engineering specialties that will be in demand in the uture, or
it could just be giving kids access to some o the most innovative thinkers in the world
today to inspire them to do well in whatever they choose to do in their lives.
A diverse workorce
Our world is changing aster than ever – we are
travelling more, working outside o our home
country, living and working longer.
I you take a look round Airbus today you will
already nd employees rom over 80 countries
speaking over 20 dierent languages. It can create
some unique situations like nding yoursel at a
coee machine listening to a Norwegian, a Spaniard
and a German speaking together in French!
Gannet in fight, adjusting
eather shape to suppress lit
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People rom every background can enjoy working in aviation to help shape the
uture. Fly Your Ideas is a global challenge that brings together university students
rom all disciplines to tell us what they would do to make the aviation industry more
sustainable.
Launched in 2008, the competition runs every two years and gives a rare opportunity
or tomorrow’s generation to develop their ideas or the uture alongside some o
the most talented people working in the aviation industry today. The winning team
receives a prize o 30,000, the runners up share 15,000, and all o the nalists get
the chance to present their ideas at an international airshow.
The 2011 challenge o improving “The Environmental Lie Cycle” was taken up by
more than 2,600 students rom 75 countries. The 315 teams developed ideas related
to a stage o the aircrat’s lie cycle: design, supply chain, manuacturing, aircrat
operations or aircrat end-o-lie.
By pairing the team
with Airbus mentors, the
challenge increases the
students’ awareness o
the environmental and
aeronautic challenges o
the uture and inspires
them to consider a career
in aviation.
For urther
inormation visit:www.airbus-yi.com
But imagine a work orce that is truly as diverse as the society we live in and the
customers that we serve – where each person is working as part o a team that thinks
outside the box, continuously innovating and better understanding the needs o all uture
passengers, rom all parts o the world. That is denitely a key part o Airbus’ vision or
2050.
What does a career at Airbus look like in the uture?
Over the next 20 years the world’s airlines will need more than 24,000 new aircrat,
which must be greener, cleaner, quieter and smarter than ever beore. By 2050 they
will need a whole new generation o aircrat that address changing demographics and
environmental concerns. That’s why Airbus needs the best team in the world to help
design, build, support and, ultimately, recycle its aircrat.
Airbus employs more than 52,500 people in sites around the world, which guarantees a
huge range o career opportunities or people driven by a pioneering spirit and passion
or aeronautics.
I today, we invest and nurture the talent o tomorrow, technology and innovation can
make lie better or all o us.
The Fly Your Ideas Winners2009, C0z, rom the University
o Queensland, Australia
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Air travel is about connecting people. But, at Airbus we also want
to ocus on the travel experience itsel; the journey as much as the
destination. We see every passenger being able to choose how they
want to travel in the uture and also a signicant reduction in weight,
uel burn, emissions and waste.
But rst we have another journey to take – the journey towards
the uture by Airbus.
Now that you know the opportunities and the challenges that lie ahead,
why not get involved and help to shape the uture o air transport and
the uture o our planet?
Visit www.theuturebyairbus.com
Email: [email protected]
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www.theuturebyairbus.com
h @ i b
AIRBUS S.A.S. 2011 Blagnac, France
© AIRBUS S.A.S 2011 all rights reserved, Airbus, its logo, and product names are registered trade marks.
Concept design by Good Relations, Printed in the UK.