Could Airbus’ Bizarre New Double Decker Be the Plane of the Future?

[gallery ids="154894,154893,154892,154891,154890,154889,154886,154885,154884,154883,154882,154881"] A new patent filed by Airbus has us wondering: Is this new plane a bird, a whale, or a mammoth? The patent describes an enigmatic double decker aircraft with a variety of possible configurations. Technically, it’s at least three planes, for now, until Airbus decides where to put the wings and the engines. What's That in the Sky? [caption id="attachment_154890" align="alignnone" width="600"] Airbus' Patented New Aircraft Concept, one possible configuration/Airbus[/caption] When we looked at the various aircraft configurations proposed, we saw features borrowed from today’s A380, some borrowed from the manufacturer’s aircraft carrier Beluga, even some features that seem inspired by the Russian Antonov aircraft. But little things like aeronautics aside, the common thread is to appeal to airlines by making a double-decker flexible, practical and viable on more routes.