Windowless Planes Coming Soon – And They Look Incredible

Monica Sanchez | May 8, 2015
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Imagine flying in a plane from Boston to San Diego, with display screens for windows offering you a live streaming panoramic view of the clouds underneath and the sunset up ahead.

Even more, imagine being able to choose your viewing angle from your seat-back display, no matter if you’re sitting in economy or first class.

Technology company Centre for Process Innovation (CPI) is working on making that vision a reality. CPI spokesman Dr. Jon Helliwell says planes with “ultra thin, very light and highly flexible” display screens for windows could be in the air within 10 years, soon as they perfect the OLED (or Organic Light-Emitting Diode) technology that makes the "digital wallpaper" come to life. 

The UK-based technology innovation center also says that switching out cabin windows for lightweight, interactive video screens would be a practical decision for the aerospace industry, reducing aircraft weight, lowering fuel use, and most importantly, saving airliners money:

“Weight is a constant issue on any aircraft," CPI explains. "Over 80% of the fully laden weight of a commercial airliner is the aircraft itself and its fuel. For every 1% reduction in weight, the approximate fuel saving is 0.75%. If you save weight, you save fuel. And less fuel means less CO2 emissions into the atmosphere and lower operational cost... everyone wins.”

In the video below, CPI offers an exciting look at what the future may hold for commercial air travel and in-flight entertainment.

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