My view on modern aircraft

Consider this, your going on an overseas holiday and getting there via air travel. Many (non avgeek) individuals in the general public wouldn't give much thought to the aircraft they will be traveling in, however, if they did aircraft like the 747 or 777 would come to mind! Right? Well, the 747 is slowly dying out and becoming a figure of the past, apart from the modern 747-8 :) So this isn't really an aircraft that is considered to be prevalent into the future.

So how about more modern aircraft that haven't been in service for that long!! How about the A330 or A380? They seem pretty modern right, and possibly the aircraft that will be widespread into the future?

Think again. 

The A380 took to the sky for the first time in the year 2005, so yes for air travel that is quite modern. Additionally, the A380 is also used around the globe by a range of carriers, so it would appear highly popular. However, despite all the pros to this (amazing) aircraft and consider how airlines are reacting to this aircraft. To sum it up, Airbus have taken the idea into consideration of revoking on the A380 production! How sad ;( So does this really seem to be the aircraft of the future? 

Personally, I believe the future is shaped by the (to come) popularity of smaller, more efficient aircraft, such as the 787 Dreamliner and A350. These aircraft feature unprecedented technologies, and whilst they may not be still flying 80 years down the track, I strongly believe they will be in 10. The construction of these aircraft is predominantly carbon fibre, which is a lighter and simultaneously stronger material than the traditional aluminium. These aircraft feature up to 80% cabin fibre in their construction, whilst the A380 only contains 20% carbon fibre. 

These aircraft are highly efficient in regards to the environment, requiring less fuel (predominantly due to less weight) and maximise passenger comfort in innovative, unprecedented ways. Methods such as lighting window control (to replace window shades) and increased oxygen into the cabin to avoid after flight feelings of "grogginess" as well as the presence of such technology such as  accelerometers to predict turbulence and alter the flap position during flight to avoid passenger discomfort, all sound fantastic! So why not use these aircraft more in the future!!??

The subjective cons 

In all the goodness that may sound from the mention of higher usage of the 787 and A350, there are a few cons which I believe have the potential to become problematic into the future. Today I will only mention 1:

Space 

The frequency and popularity of air travel is predicted to increase into the future, this data can be inferred by information such as the growing demands for pilots and the increasing wealth of less developed nations. Anyhow, if more people are traveling, and we are opting to use smaller aircraft as oppose to larger aircraft such as the A380, that implies we will have many more aircraft in the sky. What about midair collisions? 

I will likely do another post concerning modern aircraft and the pros and cons particularly.