Flying-V, the plane that carries passengers on the wings

The Technological University of Delft (The Netherlands) has developed a plane called Flying-V and its main novelty is that the passenger cabin, the fuel tanks and the cargo hold is in the wings.

They claim that the aircraft will use 20% less fuel than the Airbus A350-900 while transporting a similar number of passengers: the Flying-V will have capacity for 314, while the Airbus A350 can accommodate between 300 and 350. The design also it reflects the 65 meter wingspan of the A350, which allows it to use the existing airport infrastructure.

The lower energy consumption is achieved by the aerodynamic design of the ship, and also by its reduced weight.

The Dutch national airline KLM Royal Dutch Airlines will help finance it, which have stood out as a pioneer in sustainability within the airline industry.

Researchers expect to fly a scale model this September, while a mock-up of the new cabin design will open to the public at Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport in October, as part of KLM’s 100th anniversary celebrations. The entire plane is expected to enter service between 2040 and 2050.

Roelof Vos, project manager said: “We have performed numerical tests and preliminary tests in wind tunnels, but we need to do many more tests in wind tunnels, high speed and low speed, to prove that this aircraft is efficient as we think.”