Airbus will test designs for aircraft with longer, folding wings that could operate in airports too small for their wingspan.
The firm has already built three 17-metre, ground-based wing demonstrators to explore the advantages of increased wingspan. Broadly speaking, longer wings made out of advanced materials that are both strong and light could help to maximise aerodynamic efficiency and reduce fuel burn.
But existing airports are generally not equipped to handle the raw, unfolded wingspan of next-generation high-span aircraft without significant and costly modifications.
Over the next three years, Airbus will design, build and flight-test full-scale wing extensions. These will be installed on an A321neo aircraft and used to evaluate how the different wing geometries perform in real flight conditions. The wings on the test aircraft will not be foldable as the mechanical hinge and folding mechanisms are being tested separately by Airbus.
The extensions, each measuring several metres, will...