Windowless aircraft could be the future of cheaper air travel as a government technology centre develops a proposal to help airlines save on fuel, according to reports today.
Plastic display screens projecting the sky outside could line the cabin of an aircraft, taking the place of windows.
The technology would reduce aircraft weight and cut fuel costs without worrying nervous passengers.
The display screens will function using a technique called printable electronics, which involves the use of conductive inks to carry electric current in cardboard and plastic for just a few pence per unit.
Developers at the Centre for Process Innovation (CPI) in Sedgefield, which is one of the government’s network of technology centres known as Catapults, are particularly excited by the benefits that printable electronics offer to aviation.
Tom Taylor, who is part of the management team at CPI in County Durham, told the Financial Times: “Getting weight out of a plane is a key [goal] for the industry.
“You could see the first of these coming to market in three to four years.”
US company Spike Aerospace has announced plans to have a windowless cabin on board its Spike S-512 Supersonic Jet, which is due to launch in 2018, the Telegraph reported.
President Vik Kachoria believes the technology would win over passengers, saying they would experience “a wonderful panoramic view of the outside world”.
The company still plans to have several windows for emergency purposes.