Dubbed MAVERIC (Model Aircraft for Validation and Experimentation of Robust Innovative Controls), the aircraft is just a scale model technological demonstrator for now.

At 2m long and 3.2m wide, the aircraft’s unique designe opens up new possibilities for propulsion systems type and integration, Airbus said. It could also be used as a versatile cabin for a “totally new on-board passenger experience”.

The European plane maker has been carrying out flight tests at a secret location in central France since last year before revealing its design at the Singapore Airshow.

The concept of a “blended wing body” design has been around since the 1940s and led to the US B-2 bomber, as well as the X-48 research project between Boeing and Nasa a decade ago.

“Airbus is leveraging emerging technologies to pioneer the future of flight. By testing disruptive aircraft configurations, Airbus is able to evaluate their potential as viable future products,” said Jean-Brice Dumont, executive vice-president of engineering at Airbus.

“Although there is no specific time line for entry-into-service, this technological demonstrator could be instrumental in bringing about change in commercial aircraft architectures for an environmentally sustainable future for the aviation industry.”

Plane makers are revisiting such designs as the passenger jet industry tries to commit to more environmentally friendly aircraft.

“We believe it is high time now to push this technology further and study what it brings to us,” Dumont added. He said it was too early to say whether such shapes could contribute to the next generation of medium-haul planes, expected in the 2030s.

Since the previous generation of tests, aerospace has seen improvements in materials that make such aircraft lighter and computing power has increased, improving flight controls, Dumont said.

Airbus is now studying how the cabin would work and how the aircraft would be integrated into airports. One unresolved question is whether such a plane would have real windows or use video screens instead to give passengers a stylised sense of their surroundings.

Another issue that has dogged such experiments in the past is how to handle sensations of movement. As passengers would be sitting further out from the centre of the aircraft, compared to the classic ‘tube and wings’ model, they would move further when the aircraft turns. Rival Boeing has put more weight on a potential cargo role.

Dubbed MAVERIC (Model Aircraft for Validation and Experimentation of Robust Innovative Controls), the aircraft is just a scale model technological demonstrator for now.

At 2m long and 3.2m wide, the aircraft’s unique designe opens up new possibilities for propulsion systems type and integration, Airbus said. It could also be used as a versatile cabin for a “totally new on-board passenger experience”.

The European plane maker has been carrying out flight tests at a secret location in central France since last year before revealing its design at the Singapore Airshow.

The concept of a “blended wing body” design has been around since the 1940s and led to the US B-2 bomber, as well as the X-48 research project between Boeing and Nasa a decade ago.

“Airbus is leveraging emerging technologies to pioneer the future of flight. By testing disruptive aircraft configurations, Airbus is able to evaluate their potential as viable future products,” said Jean-Brice Dumont, executive vice-president of engineering at Airbus.

“Although there is no specific time line for entry-into-service, this technological demonstrator could be instrumental in bringing about change in commercial aircraft architectures for an environmentally sustainable future for the aviation industry.”

Plane makers are revisiting such designs as the passenger jet industry tries to commit to more environmentally friendly aircraft.

“We believe it is high time now to push this technology further and study what it brings to us,” Dumont added. He said it was too early to say whether such shapes could contribute to the next generation of medium-haul planes, expected in the 2030s.

Since the previous generation of tests, aerospace has seen improvements in materials that make such aircraft lighter and computing power has increased, improving flight controls, Dumont said.

Airbus is now studying how the cabin would work and how the aircraft would be integrated into airports. One unresolved question is whether such a plane would have real windows or use video screens instead to give passengers a stylised sense of their surroundings.

Another issue that has dogged such experiments in the past is how to handle sensations of movement. As passengers would be sitting further out from the centre of the aircraft, compared to the classic ‘tube and wings’ model, they would move further when the aircraft turns. Rival Boeing has put more weight on a potential cargo role.