What will planes be like in 2030?

Hybrid and all-electric planes
Experts believe hybrid and fully battery-powered planes, which offer less range than conventional aircraft, will begin to dominate the short-haul flight sector by 2030, becoming the go-to craft for flights under three hours.



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Low prices and an ever-expanding route network make it possible: 9 billion passengers are expected in the air by 2050. Thus, the passenger volume in aviation of the future will more than double compared to the current level.

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Some companies are looking at jet aircraft powered by electricity. For example, Wright Electric is working on a 100-seat fully-electric regional jet that could take off starting in 2026. The Wright Spirit is a conversion of the BAe 146 regional jet, destined for one-hour flights.

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High-speed rail in particular can replace air travel, with new lines reducing aviation transport on the same routes by as much as 80%. But slower rail is just as important: sleeper trains are now having a renaissance in Europe, for example, driven by passenger concern for the climate.

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Robotic pilots will probably take the position of human pilots, although a human pilot will still be needed to control the aircraft. AI or Robots can replace a pilot, but when? Aviation technology applications are not always created with human interaction in mind.

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Travellers will have to 'chase the shade', choosing holidays based on cooler and safer destinations that are not ravaged by climate change. Destinations like Belgium, Slovenia and Poland are touted as the top future summer holiday destinations, as Majorca and Greece become too hot to handle.

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2030 – 14,500 pilot shortage
14,500 pilots will be needed each year through 2030. This is according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, due to a combination of pilot retirements and increasing demand for air travel.

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In the current estimate for 2021-2040, over the next two decades 612,000 new pilots will be required worldwide, with 130,000 of these in North America, primarily the U.S.. Expectations are similar for other staff in the aviation industry such as mechanics and cabin crew, as the whole market expands.

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2025 – 34,000 pilots shortage
More than 34,000 newly trained pilots needed by 2025. The FAA predicts that air travel demand will continue to grow at a rate of 4.3 percent per year, even as more than 4,100 pilots per year retire in the US alone.

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It's worth noting that pilots are probably the furthest from being replaced by AI. First, countless legal, regulatory, and safety requirements need to be met. New laws would have to be written and tested to allow AI-controlled aircraft, which could take many years. Then, there is public perception to consider.

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Tsourdos says it is highly unlikely that we will have commercial flights without pilots any time soon. “The role of the pilots may change through the years, so they will be supervisors. I think from the safety and resilience point of view, it's unlikely they'll disappear,” he says.

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Aside from the realities of the physics of flight, people will always want to be on the move. Demand for air travel will keep growing in the foreseeable future, according to IATA, whose recent figures show that demand is expected to reach 94% of 2019 levels in 2023 and will increase to 103% in 2024 and 111% in 2025.

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For some airlines, the A380 offered too much capacity, while for Emirates, the airline can't get enough of the plane. Unfortunately for Emirates (and us passengers), the days of the Airbus A380 are numbered. Airbus stopped A380 production in 2021, as there weren't sufficient orders to keep production going.

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Air travel in the future should be a lot more comfortable for passengers despite economy airline seats that are getting more cramped. The newer jets that are coming online in the next few years will create a cabin atmosphere that mimics a lower altitude and keeps the air inside the cabin more humid than current planes.

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