This summer, GKN Aerospace announced that they are researching the case of an optimized carbon reinforced wing for a next Airbus single aisle, narrow body aircraft under the “wing of tomorrow” program.

Why it matters: The next topic in aviation after a new engine option for the 777 and the A350 is definitely a new single aisle, narrow body aircraft as a successor of the A320 and the 737. For these new planes, several technologies are analyzed, among these are more composite materials, new engines, open fans and others.

The bigger picture: Composite materials are successful for wide body aircrafts with low numbers. At the moment, even the industrialized processes still require a load of manual labor. It is unclear yet how to best scale these processes to a stage where large quantities of planes (60+) can be produced with this technology.