Airbus looks back to the future
Airbus China has been authorised to restart operations of the Tianjin final assembly line, which had been suspended after the coronavirus outbreak. This means it can gradually increase production.
During the Singapore air show, Airbus revealed the 2 x 3.2 m (2.25 sqm) technological demonstrator "Maveric" (model aircraft for validation and experimentation of robust innovative controls). The disruptive design of the blended wing body (BWB) aircraft could reduce fuel consumption by up to 20% compared to current single-aisle aircraft.
Originally conceived by McDonnell Douglas in the 1990s, this configuration also opens up new possibilities for propulsion systems type and integration, as well as a new PAX experience. In Boeing's BWB studies the potential cargo configuration evaluations even prevailed. (ah)