PEAKLIFE

This new aircraft being developed is not only futuristic-shaped, but also fuel efficient.

The Dutch airline KLM is funding the development of a V-shaped aeroplane. Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands is researching a fuel efficient plane that seats its passengers right in the wings. The design first took flight when it got recognition from the UK’s Royal Aeronautical Society and in the Young Researcher Competition in 2015.

Conceptualised by student Justus Benad who was then a student at Berlin’s Technical University, the innovative shape makes the aircraft lighter and more aerodynamic. This results in 20% more fuel efficiency than the current generation of highly advanced Airbus A350s, despite having the same seating of 314 people, almost identical wingspan of 65 meters and thus the ability to utilize the same gates, hangars and runways.

Dubbed the ‘Flying V’, it will also be able to travel long-distance flights more sustainably. Its’ smaller size and less inflow surface area results in less resistance, which means less fuel for the same distance.The plane also makes use of the most fuel-efficient turbofan engines that, while currently are run on kerosene, can be adaoted to use electric turbofans.

The Flying V would help make the Dutch aviation sector meet its sustainability goals of decreasing aviation CO2 emissions by 35 percent by the end of 2030.

A prototype will be officially presented at the KLM Experience Days at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol in October on the occasion of KLM’s 100th anniversary. The completed plane is expected to hit the skies between 2040 and 2050.