When the first commercial flight by Thomas Cook departed in 1919 few foresaw the industry that would soon dominate the globe. Fast forward nearly a century and the aeroplane has evolved into the innovation of the skies, each new model going further than ever before. The journey towards the impeccable ‘Boeing 737 Max 10’ is paved with Concords and dodgy microwave meals; every industry has its moments of glory and gore, however, the future for flight seems particularly bright.
Engine Power
Recently Airbus announced the new A380 (Neo A380) which is 32ft wider than its previous incarnation; the wider wingspan will improve aerodynamics due to reducing wind drag and boosting fuel efficiency. Most manufacturers are engineering aeroplanes which utilise the best of today’s technology, pioneering in fuel saving engines which enable lengthier flights and more diverse routes. Qantas is to launch a nonstop service between Perth and London Heathrow becoming the world’s longest flight on the Boeing Dreamliner, it wouldn’t have been able to achieve this feat without these developments.
Aircraft sales have been in decline over recent years, Airbus and Boeing are hoping airlines will want to upgrade in order to save in their long-term investments as fuel consumption per plane is reduced. The environmental benefits of the latest engines are revolutionary as well; if every Boeing aircraft in use today was to install their latest engines it would be similar to erasing 45 million vehicles off of the planet.
Technologic
Not only are the exteriors of the aircraft improving so is the overall experience for the passenger. Most airlines today offer Wi-Fi accessibility as our online affiliated lives become permanently connected. Emirates and Norwegian Airlines are a few steps ahead of the trend by offering their passengers free Wi-Fi access, a competitive advantage which will likely be adopted by those airlines bidding for the business traveller dollar. The adoption of mobile apps will hopefully create a seamless journey for passengers; check in, immigration, baggage retrieval and security could one day all be managed through mobile technology.
The future may see fully automated monitoring systems installed on each aircraft, being able to detect faults much quicker than today’s manual 6-hour inspections. These smart technologies will identify minor faults not visible to the human eye. Flight turnaround will, in turn, improve as well because the necessary pre-flight checks will be computerised.
Whatever the future holds, people are going to be on the move for business or leisure across continents, now and for years to come. MB Private Clients is excited for the future prospects of the industry and is ready to evolve with it.