easyJet ecoJet
Inhabitat reported that Easyjet, the low cost short haul European airline, is coming out with it’s own fuel efficient airplane: the easyJet ecoJet - I cannot imagine Australia’s bottom line obsessed airline Qantas even thinking about such move, let alone doing it. In fact, easyJet probably has become the first airline to outline environmental requirements that must be met by the next generation of short-haul super-clean aircraft, and in the process to unveil its own design of what such an aircraft could look like for operation by 2015.
The “easyJet ecoJet” would need to be 25% quieter and would emit 50% less CO2 and 75% less NOx than today’s newest aircraft (the Boeing 737 and A320 families of aircraft. It will incorporate the latest research by airframe and engine manufacturers around the world – all of which can be incorporated into an aircraft that should be in operation by 2015. The projection for the 50% CO2 reduction is based on the findings from the latest research by the industry leaders and will come from the engines (25%), the lightweight airframe (15%) and from improvements to air traffic control technology and design (10%).
In easyJet’s current configuration and operation, the projection for the eco-liner would generate less than 47g of CO2 per passenger km. In comparison, easyJet’s current operations generate 97.5g of CO2 per passenger km, the Toyota Prius emits 104g of CO2 per kilometre; and the European car industry has recently been given a target to achieve 130g of CO2 per kilometre.
The design will contain a number of key features to make it radically more environmentally efficient:
- Rear-mounted “open-rotor” engines offer unrivalled environmental performance for short-haul flying due to their higher propulsive efficiency. However, there are significant difficulties in fixing such a large engine under a wing of a narrow-body aircraft, making rear-mounting of the engines the optimum solution
- A lower design cruise speed to reduce drag and a shorter design range to reduce weight
- The wings of the airplane are swept forward to reduce drag
- Noise reductions are expected to come from a gear box between the engine and the open-rotor blades keeping them subsonic during take-off and landing, the use of the rear empennage to shield the ground from engine noise, and airframe improvements (such as no slats on the front of the wing)
- The airframe will be made of advanced weight-reducing materials similar to those used in current projects like the Boeing 787 (carbon fibre), which itself is estimated to be 27% more fuel efficient than the aircraft it will replace in many fleets
According to Andy Harrison, easyJet Chief Executive, “easyJet is already setting the environmental standard in the airline industry. Our fleet of 131 aircraft has an average age of only 2.3 years – the youngest of any major airline in Europe. We have recently called for over 700 of the dirtiest aircraft to be banned from Europe’s skies and are active supporters of the EU’s Emissions Trading Scheme and Single European Skies program”.
Of course, the best way to reduce airplane emissions is to reduce unnecessary flying. However, whether we like it or not, flying has become a fact of life for a large number of people, and is sometimes unavoidable. Short-haul flights are becoming more and more common and their overall emissions can only rise. So it is great to hear that Easyjet is trying to offset the impacts of their business by rethinking the concept of current airplane design.
Current easyJet aircraft
[thanks to Inhabitat, site focused on sustainable design, for the link]
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