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Auch am Boden, auf den Airports, wird mit Hochdruck an alternativen
Antrieben gearbeitet oder sie werden bereits in der Praxis eingesetzt.
So testete zum Beispiel die Fraport AG vier Jahre lang mittels
Wasserstoff und Brennstoffzelle angetriebene Pkw am Flughafen oder
setzt im Abfertigungsbetrieb bereits viele Elektrofahrzeuge ein. Die
Stromversorgung von über 70 mobilen Fluggasttreppen wird von
integrierten Solarzellenmodulen sichergestellt. Vor Kurzem fand auf
dem Vorfeld von FRA das erfolgreiche Testrollen eines Airbus A320
der Lufthansa statt, in dessen Hauptfahrwerk Elektromotoren für das
ei genständige Bewegen der Maschine sorgten. Ziel der Ingenieure
ist, dass Flugzeuge ohne Triebwerksschub und Kerosinverbrennen bis
zur Startbahn rollen können. (L.R.)
Investments in Eco-friendly Equipment
At first glance, the appearance of aircraft has hardly changed over the
past 40 years. From a technical point of view, however, aircraft have
changed a lot during this period and will continue to change also in the
future. When aircraft manufacturers, such as Airbus, Boeing, or Embraer,
design new aircraft today the focus is on reducing fuel consumption and
minimizing flight and engine noise. To achieve this, new engine tech nol -
ogies and forms are being developed, such as serrated engine nacelles
used for the brand new Boeing B787 Dreamliner aircraft.
Aircraft featuring curved wing profiles with wingtip devices help to re -
duce kerosene consumption and flight noise. Undercarriage covers and
fuselage surfaces are also being continuously optimized. Thus, the noise
footprint produced by all modern aircraft types – whether they are in the
air or approaching an airport – has already been considerably reduced
by 30 to 60 percent compared to previous models.
Also at airports on the ground alternative propulsion technologies are
already deployed or being tested. Fraport, the operator of Frankfurt Airport
(FRA), has tested, for example, airport vehicles powered by hydrogen
fuel cells for four years and deploys many electric vehicles for ground
handling operations. In addition, more than 70 mobile passenger stairs
at the airport are powered by integrated solar panels. Recently, a successful
taxiing test was carried out at FRA with an Airbus A320 of Lufthansa.
The Airbus was equipped with an electric nose wheel allowing the aircraft
to move around the tarmac without using its main engines. Engineers
aim to further develop this technology so that in the future aircraft
can taxi to the runway without any engine thrust, thus reducing kero -
sene consumption to zero with zero emissions.