Tech Watch: Airlines Reinvent the Wing for Cleaner Skies

Airlines need to scramble to cope with skyrocketing oil bills and dirty footprints.

Fuel now represents 40 percent of airline expenses, some analysts say.

Commercial aircraft account for about five percent of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide, and 12 percent in the US, by some estimates.

And, as the industry begins to explode in emerging markets, such as India and China, airlines can expect their greenhouse gas emissions to grow, making the dirty skies even dirtier.

That global warming pollution is sure to come with a big price tag -- just as soon as a carbon scheme kicks in and imposes limits on the industry.

Enter lightweight aircraft wings.

A 16-firm partnership, including Airbus, the UK Department for Innovation and now Bombardier Shorts in Belfast, has set out to reinvent the wing.

At the get-go, the firms will pump $210 million into a program to build a new generation of the lighter aircraft wings that will reduce aerodynamic drag. The wings will be made of composite materials that are more durable than metal and should reduce operating costs and carbon pollution by reducing fuel consumption.

Grim times for airlines.

And the wings are no magic bullet. But investing in structural innovations to make planes more efficient is a wise, if not obvious, course of action.

It certainly trumps spending bazillions on gimmicky biofuel-powered jets as a way for airlines to greenwash themselves into appearing responsible, for example.

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