The scheme would involve tanker aircraft along key long-distance routes that would be capable of topping up as many as seven passenger aircraft.
It would be the first time a system of mid-air re-fuelling, which is already in use for military aircraft, had been adapted for commercial flights.
Work on the project has found that overall fuel consumption could be cut by up to a quarter by allowing aircraft to take off and land with lighter loads.
Bart Heesbeen, senior research and development engineer from the National Aerospace Laboratory in Amsterdam, which is leading the programme, said that the cruiser-feeder system could revolutionize air travel.
‘Based on the feedback we received from the pilots who participated on the phase one experimentation, pilots believe it will be possible to operate the aircraft safely during the air-to-air re-fuelling manoeuvre with a highly automated fuel control system.’
The plans, which have been in development since 2011, have yet to proceed to full in-flight trials.
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Picture Credit: "Mid-air refuellinf" by Senior Airman Maeson Elleman via Wikimedia Commons.
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