There will be 91 ‘Aviation Mega Cities’ in the world by 2033, accounting for 2.2 million daily long haul passengers traffic to, from and via these super hubs, said an official of Airbus, the world’s leading commercial aircraft manufacturer.

In a presentation on 'The Future by Airbus at the Future of Borders International Conference' in Dubai, Paul Moultrie, the head of marketing at Airbus Middle East, said these cities will account for 95 per cent of long-haul traffic in the world, which by 2020 will have a total population of 9.3 billion.

The conference has been organised by the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs in Dubai under the patronage of Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, the president of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, chairman of Dubai Airports and chairman and chief executive of Emirates Airline and Group.

The conference has a line-up of 24 speakers from 12 countries, including representatives of ACI and IATA.

Addressing the gathering, Moultrie said this will be a major growth in 10 years. "There were only 42 aviation mega cities in 2013 with 0.8 million daily long-haul traffic and 90 per cent of long haul traffic on routes to, from and via these cities," he added.

According to him, the economic contribution of aviation mega cities will increase to 35 per cent of the world GDP in 2033, up from 22 per cent recorded in 2013.

He said a survey of 10,000 people conducted by the European airplane maker to elicit their opinion about what they want from the future of flight suggested that they want the air transport “cheaper, greener and more fun.”

Through innovation, and out-of-the-box thinking, Airbus will continue to meet its eco-efficiency goals, and ensure that air travel continues to be one of the safest, and most eco-efficient, means of transportation, he stated.

Airbus, said Moultrie, believes that the industry as a whole must concentrate on technological advances, while also advancing solutions that will meet passenger and market demands, the growing population and its demographic profile, and respect all aspects of the environment.

The airplane manufacturer unveiled its 2050 vision for ‘Smarter Skies’ where in it envisages more flights, fewer emissions and quicker passenger journey times.

It is looking to the next 40-plus years – actively working with other industry stakeholders and experts to anticipate the global needs of a better-connected and more sustainable world.

For the first time, its vision of sustainable aviation in 2050 looked beyond aircraft design to how the aircraft is operated both on the ground and in the air in order to meet the expected growth in air travel in a sustainable way.

Airbus research suggests that every flight in the world could on average be around 13 minutes shorter. This would save around 9 million tonnes of excess fuel annually, which equates to over 28 million tonnes of avoidable CO2 emissions and a saving for passengers of over 500 million hours of excess flight time on board an aircraft.

The Future by Airbus consists of five concepts which could be implemented across all the stages of an aircraft’s operation to reduce waste in the system (waste in time, waste in fuel and reduction of CO2, explained Moultrie.

Thanks to improvements in technology since the 1970s, aircraft fuel burn and emissions have been reduced by 70 per cent, with a reduction in noise of 75 per cent, he noted.

In the future, as more people travel by air, the air transport sector will need to achieve further significant step changes while keeping air travel comfortable and affordable – and also achieving the aviation industry’s goal of halving carbon emissions by 2050, he added.

Future-gazing by Airbus shows blueprints for radical aircraft interiors.

Airbus engineers talk of morphing seats made from ecological, self-cleaning materials which change shape for a snug fit; walls that become see-through at the touch of a button, affording 360-degree views of the world below; and holographic projections of virtual decors, allowing travelers to transform their private cabin into an office, bedroom or even a “zen garden.”

“To achieve sustainable aviation in 2050, we need the right combination of innovation, investment and talent,” he added.-TradeArabia News Service