For many nervous fliers, even an hour on an airplane can be anxiety-inducing.
But there’s bad news, as flights could soon get even longer – if scientists from the University of Cambridge have anything to do with it.
In a new report, they’re calling for planes to fly 15 per cent slower, which would increase transatlantic flight times by ‘about 50 minutes.’
According to the experts, this would reduce fuel burn by five to seven per cent, and help to curb carbon emissions.
‘Without swift and decisive action, we risk missing the opportunity to reach net-zero emissions by 2050 and delaying the crucial technological and business transformations needed,’ the team wrote in the report.
The report, titled ‘Five Years to Chart a New Future for Aviation’, outlines three ‘bold efficiency measures’ to reduce fuel burn in aviation.
‘Reducing fuel burn in aviation can be achieved through conventional measures such as new aircraft and engine technologies and improved operational efficiency,’ the researchers explained.
‘Based on a range of sources, the Aviation Impact Accelerator model predicts that these conventional measures can lead to up to a 22% reduction in fuel burn by 2050.
‘However, several bold efficiency measures exist which are currently hard to access because they involve systems-wide change.
‘If implemented, these measures could reduce fuel burn by up to 50% by 2050.’
The first bold measure involves accelerated fleet replacement, with the aim of halving the aircraft retirement age from 30 to 15 years by 2050.
According to the experts, this change alone could reduce fuel burn by 11 per cent to 14 per cent.
The second bold measure is to reduce the speed at which airplanes travel by around 15 per cent, which could reduce fuel burn by five to seven per cent.
The researchers acknowledge that this likely wouldn’t go down well among passengers.
‘One drawback of reducing speed is the potential negative impact on airline productivity and passenger acceptance, especially for longer flights,’ they said.
However, they reassure that this would only increase flight times on transatlantic flights by ‘about 50 minutes.’
‘[This] could be offset by reduced airport waiting times,’ they explained.
Finally, the researchers say that ensuring that more aircraft are flown close to their design range could lower fuel burn by four to seven per cent.
‘These bold measures are frequently overlooked because they require broad changes to the whole aviation sector, which are beyond the control of airlines,’ the researchers added.
‘Therefore, policies must be implemented to drive the necessary system wide sector change needed to achieve a 50% reduction in fuel burn by 2050, returning aviation to 2019 emissions levels.’
The idea of making flights even longer will come as bad news people who fear flying.
The fear of flying – known as aerophobia – is estimated to affect one in 10 Britons, although some studies suggest that the proportion is much higher.
‘Fear of flying can be linked to the fear of airplanes or it could be an aspect of other psychological problems such as panic attacks, claustrophobia or post-traumatic stress disorder,’ Anxiety UK explains on its website.
‘People suffering from fear of flying often suffer increased anxiety and panic attacks at the thought of flying and many avoid air travel as a result of this.’
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