One step closer to air refuelling for airliners
Transferring aviation fuel from one aircraft to another during flight is a common procedure in the military. This manoeuvre is virtually unheard of for long-haul commercial aeroplanes. Air-to-air refuelling (AAR) of passenger aircraft can result in considerable fuel savings and environmental gains. The EU-funded RECREATE (Research on a cruiser enabled air transport environment) project set out to determine how much fuel can be saved by replacing airport fuelling operations with AAR. Research initially showed that fuel can be reduced up to 23 % for a standard 6 000-nautical-mile flight with a 250-passenger aircraft. The detailed research specified the reduction potential at 9 – 16 %. It was also revealed that the total operating costs can be lowered. Simulation of aerial refuelling for commercial aeroplanes and feedback from pilots demonstrated the feasibility of safe AAR operations. In addition, the automated flight control system requires little training. Project members also researched how passengers and cargo might be delivered to a nuclear-powered long-range airliner. Findings revealed that significant advancements in simulation and computing technology are required for its further development. RECREATE proved the airworthiness of the automated AAR concept by analysing it from an economic, operational and technical perspective. A cost-benefit analysis showed that both fuel and costs can be reduced despite very high investment expenses. Total operating costs can be lowered by 12 %. Results were disseminated to the aeronautical sciences community and policymakers, including 24 scientific conference papers and over 20 presentations at various relevant events. Thanks to RECREATE, the delivery of fuel to commercial airliners may become a reality sooner than ever expected.
Keywords
Air refuelling, airliners, commercial aeroplanes, air transport, passenger aircraft
