An Airbus with folding wings?

[Rheged]

 As seen in the Guardian...........................https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/jul/21/airbus-to-test-folding-wings-for-next-generation-of-bestselling-planes

[PR19_Kit]

Not sure there's anything all the new there, apart from the fact that they're talking about doing it for single aisle airliners. They won't gain anything unless the airports squash the spacing between the jetways up, and that'll cost THEM money and not Airbus.

Boeing proposed folding wings on some models of the 777 but so far no airline has ordered them. They've specified them for the larger versions of the 777 too, but with shorter folding sections so they can use the same jetways as the original size 777s. Again, no-one has ordered any yet.

[Joe CalPo]

Giant carrier planes!   

[Old Wombat]

Not sure there's anything all the new there, apart from the fact that they're talking about doing it for single aisle airliners. They won't gain anything unless the airports squash the spacing between the jetways up, and that'll cost THEM money and not Airbus.

Boeing proposed folding wings on some models of the 777 but so far no airline has ordered them. They've specified them for the larger versions of the 777 too, but with shorter folding sections so they can use the same jetways as the original size 777s. Again, no-one has ordered any yet.

I doubt a civil airline will.

The fold is a (relatively) weak point in the wing structure, a risk that military forces with fixed wing capable aircraft carriers are willing to accept but I doubt that private airlines will due to potential law suits should an airliner's wing/s fail.

Plus, having worked on them, I know just how much maintenance goes into wing-fold systems & that's a BIG added cost to the airlines.

[zenrat]

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[PR19_Kit]

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I got a similar response, but if you edit off the 'Guardian..................' and just link from the https bit onwards it works OK.

Mind you, they still expect you to add ALL their cookies, or PAY them so you don't have to! The arrogance of these newspaper people amaze me sometimes.

[zenrat]

As seen in the Guardian...........................
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/jul/21/airbus-to-test-folding-wings-for-next-generation-of-bestselling-planes

Or just do that.