Aeronotics. Why will the new Airbus plane revolutionize long-haul flights?

Is the “eco” plane about to take off? Crossing the planet non-stop aboard a modest-sized aircraft – a medium-haul – which burns 30% less fuel per seat, and therefore emits almost a third less CO2, such is the promise of the latest born from Airbus, the A321 XLR. The European manufacturer is awaiting authorization from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (Aesa) in June in order to deliver the device to companies. Around twenty of them are already in the running and nearly 500 copies have been ordered. The Spanish company Iberia will be the first supplied, at the end of the summer, for immediate entry into service.

This technological feat comes neither from a biofuel nor from a revolutionary engine. Airbus engineers managed to fit an additional tank by rearranging the cargo holds and modifying the landing gear and flight controls. The result is a “two in one”, single-aisle aircraft, with a capacity of 220 seats, capable of flying very long distances. “Until now, only wide-body aircraft with 350 or 400 seats could travel so far. As they only find profitability from an 80% occupancy rate, a stopover in a “hub” (a large international airport, Editor's note) is necessary to board more passengers”, explains Xavier Tytelman, aviator and aeronautics expert. Hence the ecological performance of the A321 XLR: avoiding a stopover means eliminating a takeoff which, on a short flight, represents up to 40% of the fuel consumed. Enough to revolutionize the organization of the air system. Direct flights will soon be possible from secondary cities. Nantes-New York, Marseille-Pointe-à-Pitre or Toulouse-Bangkok will now be included on the sky map.

An expanding sector

Doesn't such an offer risk annihilating overall efforts in terms of CO2 emissions, by intensifying traffic? “No, a Marseillais who wants to go to the West Indies will go there anyway, except that with this plane he will not have to go through Paris or make a stopover,” slips Xavier Tytelman. For his part, François Suchel, airline pilot and writer, is much more circumspect, pointing to a probable rebound effect: “The A321 XLR will certainly create new uses” and travel desires.

Especially since, after the air gap linked to Covid, the rush to air travel is confirmed, particularly in Asia. The global fleet includes more than 22,000 aircraft and will double by 2040. In India alone, nearly 80 airports will be built by next year. The sector, which seems doomed to pollute due to its inexorable growth, is banking more than ever on technological progress. The highlight is the hydrogen plane, whose engine would make it possible to transport passengers without emitting CO 2 by 2035. “A very ambitious date, let's talk about 2050”, adds Xavier Tytelman. Building a clean plane is good, using it is better. Will the national companies of oil-producing countries buy planes that do without them?