Airbus’s Game Changing Innovation in Aviation

December 2, 2025

Su Yazıcı

Işıkkent High School

11th Grade

For the last 75 years, we have been on planes with turbofans that we are all familiar with—but now, everything is about to change for the aviation industry. Throughout the decades, aviation’s ultimate goal was to create the most fuel-efficient, the fastest, and the least expensive plane possible. The differing styles of planes varied in their priorities. Commercial planes prioritize fuel efficiency and cost, while military aviation prioritizes speed.

Since the late 1940s, civil aviation has used turbojets because they were the best possible option in terms of noise pollution, efficiency, safety, and cost with their current technologies. But now everything may change!

In May 2025, Airbus released the news of their new potential open fan engine that will have massive effects on the future of aviation. They are currently planning on making these planes for the public in 2030. But before that, what are turbofans and open fans? Why is Airbus making this shift between these two technologies?

All aviation engines work with air. Some use more air, and some use more fuel. This is totally up to what the priorities are for that plane. As the bypass ratio (ratio of air used) of an engine rises, the more efficient fuel usage it has, which is the aim for civil aviation.

Before hopping on this new engine, it is crucial to know how turbofans work.

The air that goes through the blade wheel at the front is separated into two sections. A certain amount of it is directed to the compressor blades and combustor, then out through the nozzle, while the remaining air bypasses (goes around the engine) by a fan, called the sheath flow. Although this section of air is not combusted, it has an increased velocity, which is achieved by a separate nozzle. It generates up to 80% of the thrust! This means that contrary to some engines, a turbofan gets some of its thrust from the core and some of its thrust from the fan. The ratio of air that goes around the engine versus the air that goes into the core is called the bypass ratio. The higher the ratio, the more fuel efficient it is.

It is evident that turbofans are an efficient solution, but can there be an even more efficient solution? That is exactly the question Airbus is now answering with the fuel economy of a turboprop engine with the performance and speed of a turbofan.

The concept of blades without outer casing (like Airbus’s new engine) dates back to the 1980s. However, it was soon erased from the industry since greater distance and greater thrust were needed to be achieved with less noise. The technology of that era didn’t meet the needs to improve the open-fanned engine, resulting in other engines being dominant in the field.

There are many differences in both the exterior and the interior components of the open engine versus turbojets. The first and most evident difference is the open fan with large rotor blades, which enables more air intake with less energy. The reason why the outer casing was in the design for many years is the reduction of noise and easier maintenance.

There are counterrotating blades without any constraints of a casing around them that help the aircraft stabilize airflow. This results in less turbulence while reducing drag—a big win for aviation. These blades are also very lightweight, and the increase in thrust caused by the blades results in not needing to increase the combustion chamber’s temperature or pressure. Another aspect is the amount of air that bypasses the core of the engine. As there is no longer an engine casing, propeller blades draw big amounts of air, resulting in an increase in bypass ratio compared to turbojets. Therefore, it can reduce fuel consumption up to 20% while being able to work with alternative fuels such as hybrid electric systems and SAF (sustainable aviation fuel).

  These major changes will impact the whole aircraft, such as the shift in its center of gravity and various complications in the control systems, while requiring new pilots, technicians, engineers, etc. Training these fields all over is an expensive shift, especially in the early stages of the change from turbofan to open engines. This prospect causes many people to worry.

Airbus is currently collaborating with CFM in the RISE (Revolutionary Innovation for Sustainable Engines) program that encourages the reduction of climate change with new technological advancements. This collaboration promotes their priority in reducing CO₂ emissions of the engine.

There are some problems that can concern people about the shift from turbojet to open engine. However, if the testing is fully done, probably around 2027, it will be an expensive but beneficial shift. The benefits of the engine will outweigh the cons in the long run. Thus, this major change in aviation creates space for many new ideas to further improve in terms of ergonomics and sustainability in technology.  There should be risks taken in technological industries to get better day by day, and these risks can be the starting point for many other advancements.