INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Image copyrightGetty ImagesImage caption
Windows could vanish on passenger planes in the future
Emirates
Airline has unveiled a new first class suite on board its latest aircraft that features virtual windows.Instead of being able to see
directly outside, passengers view images projected in from outside the aircraft using fibre-optic cameras.The airline says it paves the way
for removing all windows from future planes, making them lighter and faster.Emirates president Sir Tim Clark said the images were "so good,
it's better than with the natural eye".The virtual windows can be found in the first class cabin of Emirates' newest Boeing 777-300ER
aircraft.Sir Tim told the TheIndianSubcontinent that the ultimate aim was to have planes with no windows at all."Imagine now a fuselage as
you're boarding with no windows, but when you get inside, there are windows," he said."Now you have one fuselage which has no structural
weaknesses because of windows
The aircraft are lighter, the aircraft could fly faster, they'll burn far less fuel and fly higher."Media captionEmirates president Sir Tim
Clark thinks the windowless plane is the futureSafety concernsCabin crew need to be able to see outside the aircraft if there is an
emergency, aviation safety expert Professor Graham Braithwaite of Cranfield University said."Being able to see outside the aircraft in an
emergency is important, especially if an emergency evacuation has to take place," he said."Flight attendants would need to check outside the
aircraft in an emergency, for example for fire, before opening a door and commencing an evacuation - and anything that needed power to do
this may not be easy to get certified by an aviation safety regulator," he added.However, aviation regulator the European Aviation Safety
Agency said: "We do not see any specific challenge that could not be overcome to ensure a level of safety equivalent to the one of an
aircraft fitted with cabin windows."Prof Braithwaite said the main obstacle in a windowless aircraft would be passenger perceptions of the
technology."An aircraft could be very claustrophobic and for many, air travel is anxiety inducing already."The refresh rate of screen
technology may also have some undesirable side effects - will they flicker What is the lag How will it affect someone on a long haul flight"
he asked.'No substitute'Aviation expert John Strickland said having no windows would make aircraft more structurally sound
The move could also improve fuel efficiency if the fuselage were lighter than the windows it replaced.Media captionWill the aircraft of the
future have a sunroof"Everything that reduces weight on an aircraft is going to reduce fuel burn," he said.However, he personally liked to
be able to see out of a plane: "I'm a bit of a window obsessive
For me, artificial windows would be no substitute."
