Founded by Airbus, A3 is a Silicon Valley-based design house responsible for a variety of research and development projects aimed at helping its parent company stay ahead of its peers in the aviation industry. A3 recently unveiled a conceptual design named Transpose. The concept breaks away from the norm of viewing an aircraft as a single integrated unit. Instead, different modules can be installed and disassembled on the plane, allowing a more flexible provision of facilities and ultimately a more comfortable journey for travellers.
The A3 team explains that the plane is divided into over a dozen modular sections, and the modules can be anything from basic seats and beds, to bars, shops or even children’s play areas or a yoga studio. Apart from providing a wide range of facilities and services, the concept enables installation, removal or exchange of modules on each single flight according to passengers’ demands, exponentially maximising efficiency.
A3 has not done the maths on costs and profits, nor on technical issues such as aircraft loading, so it’s not likely we’ll be able to experience it in the near future. Still, the project offers a vision for the future of air travel that resonates with all tired, stiff-necked, cramped up airplane passengers.
