Last month a team of researchers, engineers and a drone pilot from TU Delft travelled to an airbase in Germany for the first test flight. "We were very curious about the flight characteristics of the Flying-V. The design fits within our Fly Responsibly initiative, which stands for everything we are doing and will do to improve our sustainability. We want a sustainable future for aviation and innovation is part of that. KLM has been among the top three most sustainable airlines worldwide in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index for many years. We want to continue to do so in the future. We are therefore very proud that we have been able to achieve this together in such a short period of time," says Pieter Elbers, President and CEO of KLM.

Click here for the footage of the flight.

The Flying-V is a design for a very energy-efficient long-haul aircraft. The design of the aircraft integrates the passenger cabin, cargo hold and fuel tanks in the wings, creating a spectacular V-shape. Computer calculations have predicted that the improved aerodynamic shape and reduced weight of the aircraft will reduce fuel consumption by 20% compared to today's most advanced aircraft.

Collaboration and Innovation

KLM presented the scale model for the first time during KLM's 100th anniversary in October 2019. Several partners are now involved in the project, including manufacturer Airbus. Elbers: "You can't make the aviation sector more sustainable on your own, but you have to do it together," says Elbers. Collaborating with partners and sharing knowledge takes us all further. That's why we will further develop the Flying-V concept with all partners. The next step will be to fly the Flying V on sustainable fuel".

For more information about the test flight:

Today, Dr. Roelof Vos and Prof. Henri Werij of TU Delft showed how the test flight went via a webcast. Pieter Elbers, CEO KLM and Daniel Reckzeh, Senior Manager R&T in Airbus commented. The recording of the webcast can be viewed here.

The KLM Corporate BioFuel Programme (KCBP) makes it possible for companies to power a share of their flights using sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). The participants pay a surcharge that covers the difference in price between SAF and traditional jet fuel. In turn, the surcharges are used to purchase SAF.

But why is the programme so important?

Due to insufficient production capacity and concomitant availability of sustainable feedstock, SAF is in short supply. Using SAF could reduce CO2 emissions by as much as 85%. KLM is convinced that SAF is important in the short and medium term in order to achieve the airline industry’s envisaged reduction in CO2 emissions. For this reason, KLM, SkyNRG and SHV Energy announced in May this year that they would be joining forces to build the first European SAF production plant in Delfzijl in the Netherlands. By 2022, the plant will be producing 100,000 tonnes of SAF and, as a by-product, 15,000 tonnes of bioLPG a year.

About “Fly Responsibly”

“Fly Responsibly” embodies KLM’s commitment to creating a sustainable future for air transport. It incorporates all of KLM’s current and future efforts to improve the sustainability of its activities. But true progress can only be achieved if the entire sector cooperates. With “Fly Responsibly”, KLM invites consumers to opt for CO2 compensation services, while companies are invited to compensate for business travel via the KLM Corporate BioFuel Programme.

Participants

In 2019, KCBP unites the following companies and institutions: ABN AMRO, Accenture, Arcadis BV, Arcadis NV, Amsterdam Municipality, Loyens & Loeff, Air Traffic Control the Netherlands (LVNL), Microsoft, the Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment, the Royal Netherlands Aerospace Centre (NLR), PGGM, Schiphol Group, SHV Energy and TU Delft.

About SHV Energy

SHV Energy is the world’s largest LPG distributor, and provides LNG and bioLPG to people without access to the grid. These cleaner energy sources help people to switch away from oil and solid fuels, improving their quality of life and the quality of their environment. SHV Energy operates in more than 25 countries under brands such as Primagaz, Calor Gas, Liquigas and Ipragaz and is committed to working sustainably with communities, stakeholders and policymakers.

About TU Delft

In addition to conducting research into new sustainable fuels, TU Delft is also active in relation to other aspects of sustainable aviation including the development of ultra-efficient aircraft designs like the Flying V, electric and electric/hybrid aircraft, and sustainable aircraft operations at airports and in relation to air traffic control, for example.

Using sustainable biofuel in large quantities can result in an 80% reduction in CO₂ emissions in the airline industry. For this reason, there is a worldwide need for technological development and further research into sustainable raw materials. Right now, the production, and the market, for sustainable biofuel is extremely limited. KLM has been working to develop the market for biofuel since 2011 and is stimulating more companies in the airline industry to follow its example.

Reducing CO₂ emissions
KLM is aiming to reduce its carbon dioxide emissions by 20% in 2020 (compared to 2010). In addition to introducing biofuel, it is also employing a fleet renewal programme and more efficient flight operations to achieve its goal. Other partners in the Corporate BioFuel Programme include ABN AMRO, Accenture, FrieslandCampina, the City of Amsterdam, Loyens & Loeff, the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Environment, PGGM, and the Schiphol Group.

KLM only purchases biofuels made from raw materials that have no negative environmental impact on biodiversity or food production. Sustainable biofuels are purchased through SkyNRG and are tested by the SkyNRG Sustainability Board. SkyNRG is certified by the Roundtable of Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB).

Collaboration between KLM and Delft University
In March, KLM and the Delft University of Technology signed a cooperative agreement under the name of Design Doing at Royal Dutch Airlines. The aim of this particular effort is to develop new products and to optimise existing KLM processes in a live operational KLM environment – that is, involving real passengers at a real airport in real aircraft. In this way, KLM will show its deep dedication to applying Design Thinking.

You can find out more at klmtakescare.com.

Design Doing
TU Delft’s Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering and KLM have been collaborating on various projects, including optimising the customer experience at KLM, for some time now. TU Delft offers and develops knowledge in strategic design. In its day-to-day operations, KLM can offer the optimum test environment. As part of this unique working method, ideas from the design world, referred to as Design Thinking, are applied in the implementation of an organisation’s strategy. The Design Doing partnership has been established in order to formalise collaboration between TU Delft and KLM for a longer period. Two TU Delft doctoral candidates will work with students in applying design principles in KLM’s day-to-day operations.

“We are overjoyed to have a strong scientific partner such as TU Delft at our side who can help us to innovate and teach us to apply Design Thinking on a large scale. This partnership will enable us to offer our passengers even better service and comfort in the future,” says Rene de Groot, KLM’s COO.

TU Delft President Tim van der Hagen: “The collaboration with KLM offers interesting research projects for researchers and students at TU Delft. It is a great opportunity to develop knowledge of strategic design and apply it in practice at a major airline.”

KLM X
The partnership is applying the ‘KLM X’ strategy of testing and optimising new products or processes in a real-life situation, with genuine passengers at a real airport and in real aircraft, rather than a laboratory setting. It is a first for the aviation industry, where it can often take years for new products to reach the customer. KLM X currently involves X-gates and X-flights and will be significantly expanded in 2017.

Creative Industry Top Sector
Since it is unique for an aviation company to invest so much in design, the partnership between KLM and TU Delft is receiving active support from the Dutch government’s Creative Industry Top Sector in the form of a Public-Private Partnership Research and Innovation premium from CLICKNL: the Dutch Creative Industries knowledge and innovation network. The Creative Industry Top Sector is one of nine sectors in the top sector policy of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, which aims to provide a sustainable boost to the Dutch economy through innovation.

More information
Video
TU Delft: Wendy Dallinga, w.m.dallinga@tudelft.nl, +31 15 2787538 KLM: Koen van Zijl, koen.van-zijl@klm.com, +31 6 20417895