This is What the Future of Airline Engineering Could Look Like

From the Wright Brothers to the 737 to supersonic passenger planes, air transport has borne some of the most incredible feats of engineering over the last 100 years. But where do these engineering feats lead us? What does the future of airliners look like? YouTube channel Real Engineering takes a look at current trends to see just what the future has in store.

While Boeing and Airbus seem to have a duopoly on the industry, the video predicts a handful of potential third-party "disrupters." The latter half of the video features one such game-changer: the Aurora D8.

However, Aurora will have to overcome several hurdles in order to become a market mainstay. Why is it such a struggle to introduce a new airliner body style? As Real Engineering points out, several factors. First, there isn't a way for an airline company to guarantee financial returns on its investments, especially in new styles. The video mentions the Concord which (despite its successful flight history) simply didn't make enough money and is largely considered a corporate failure. Second, the market for airliners cannot be as easily disrupted as other markets like automotive or energy. New design concepts can take up to several decades to become normalized into the market.

Via Real Engineering