Project description
Commuting by mini plane
For millions who drive to work every day, travelling along highways and encountering heavy traffic is typically something to be endured and rarely something to enjoy. The EU is funding UNIFIER 19, a new airliner concept that will offer a new, sustainable and cost-efficient air mobility solution. The 19-passenger near-zero-emission aircraft is designed to provide a diffused service connecting smaller airports to each other and with hubs, accommodating both scheduled and on-demand shuttle flights. Exploiting the sparse, underused European small airport network, UNIFIER 19 will offer commuters a radically new mobility experience that will be as simple to use as a bus.
Objective
UNIFIER19, the Community Friendly Miniliner, is an innovative commuter concept specifically designed to enable a new, environmentally sustainable and cost-efficient air mobility solution. This 19-passenger near-zero-emission aircraft is designed to provide a diffused service connecting smaller airports among them and with hubs, accommodating both scheduled and on-demand shuttle flights. The ability of the UNIFIER19 concept to capture the mobility demand for short- and very short-haul travel rests on a dedicated market study focusing on two scenarios: the “miniliner”, serving a potentially huge small airport network, and the “microfeeder”, providing a rapid transfer to hubs from local airports and even unpaved airfields.
The capability to achieve substantial emission reduction performance is based on the adoption of modular propulsive solutions including different propellers and different combinations of battery and range-extending technologies. The propulsive architecture is integrated with airframe design, in the quest for maximum aerodynamic advantages, while guaranteeing producibility and maintainability of the design solution.
The result is a family of aircraft sharing a single airframe, accommodating multiple cargo and passenger-seating layouts, as well as multiple motive power-generation solutions. Powertrain modularity eases future upgrades via supplementary type-certificates, granting an extended commercial life.
Aiming to a reduction in CO2, NOx and acoustic emissions by at least 20% compared to the 19 seaters in service today, UNIFIER19 shall offer a new mobility experience for our communities that is as easy to use as a bus. UNIFIER19 shall exploit the sparse, underused European small airport network avoiding overwhelming burdens for new ground infrastructures and providing a commercially viable response to Europe’s need for mobility.
Fields of science
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
RIA - Research and Innovation actionCoordinator
5270 Ajdovscina
Slovenia
The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.