Preliminary design of a short-medium range windowless aircraft

M C Moruzzi,S Bagassi

doi:10.1007/s12008-020-00676-7

Abstract

This paper describes a new aircraft concept, where all windows, except those for emergency exits, are replaced with simulated windows, which consist of monitors connected to external cameras to overcome the discomfort for the passenger due to the absence of real windows. This concept is developed through an analytical method to estimate the potential advantages for the environment and for airline companies deriving from a windowless configuration for a short-medium range aircraft, within the boundaries of the preliminary design. Actually, the reduction in weight is directly linked to the reduction in fuel consumption, providing advantages in terms of operating costs and emissions of carbon dioxide. The method is applied to four models of short and medium range aircraft, namely Boeing 737–800, Airbus 320, ATR72 and Embraer 190. The results show the benefits of a windowless configuration that become very positive for the operating life of an aircraft and the total fleet, potentially leading to the saving of millions of tons of carbon dioxide every year when applied to the whole fleet of the analyzed aircraft.

Highlights

The increase in air traffic is expected to grow with an annual trend of 4.3%, in the 20 years, in accordance with the Airbus Global Market Forecast 2019–2038;1 there is a greater focus on the environmental impact generated by the transport sector
The following equations are derived by interpolating a sample of ten different aircraft models with a single aisle deck: Fig. 2 Background equations obtained from a sample of ten single-aisle aircraft. a Fuselage length as a function of the number of windows. b Cabin length as a function of the number of windows. c Cabin shape factor as a function of the fuselage shape factor. d Max Take-Off Weight as a function of the number of windows
This paper proposes an analysis on the preliminary design of a windowless concept with the aim to assess the reduction in fuel consumption and the associated emissions, limiting the passenger discomfort due to the absence of real windows

Summary

Introduction

The increase in air traffic is expected to grow with an annual trend of 4.3%, in the 20 years, in accordance with the Airbus Global Market Forecast 2019–2038;1 there is a greater focus on the environmental impact generated by the transport sector. In this perspective, much research is aimed at defining and developing new designs and technologies to reduce fuel consumption and, of polluting emissions. To define an analytical method it is necessary to identify some statistical relations between the number of windows and the aircraft length, both of the fuselage and of the cabin.

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Methods

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Conclusion