Aviation

Even though the Airbus A320 family was developed and based on 1980's engineering, it has stood the test of time and remains the most successful commercial aircraft program in history with over 12,000 planes produced. Being a proven and legacy program has its limitations however as the program has exhausted most incremental upgrades that can be added and all improvements must still be based on a design made over 30 years ago. To tackle this, Airbus has begun developing a replacement for the A320 with entry to service in the late 2030s aligned with the expected double air travel demand in 2040.

Airbus aim to infuse the new design with key improvements in propulsion technology, wing design and navigational technology. Firstly, the new aircraft may improve on the current propulsion with the introduction of open-fan engines being developed by CFM International through the RISE program. Open-fan engines use exposed blades instead of a traditional casing to achieve a much higher bypass ratio and better propulsion. This innovative design allows them to improve fuel efficiency by about 20% compared to the most advanced engines used today.

The wing design on the successor will be incorporating Aibus' “Wings of Tomorrow” program which is developing longer, thinner, high-aspect-ratio wings for better lift-to-drag efficiency. Given the increase in wing size, the new Airbus program may revert back to folding wing tips to allow larger wings to still fit in standard airport gates and hangers. Advances in navigational technology may produce the highest level of automation as automated taxiing technology (Optimate) will allow aircraft to navigate airports autonomously using sensors and cameras. Taxi operations still consume a significant portion of fuel on short flights and autonomous taxi systems could reduce fuel use.