Emirates Airline says its pavilion for Expo 2020 to be held in Dubai aims to showcase potential future technologies in commercial aviation such as electric engines, advanced biometrics and composite materials.
On May 1, Emirates released details of its three-storey, 3,300 square metre pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai, which began construction March 2019.
The airline said the structure would lean heavily on the use of interactive exhibits and focus on the Expo 2020 Dubai’s three themes: mobility, opportunity and sustainability.
Emirates chairman and chief executive Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum said the pavilion aimed to foster creativity and innovation, and inspire a commitment for a better future.
“The forward-thinking experiences will highlight the best that is yet to come in aviation, and will be a platform to showcase how important mobility is for the world today and in the future,” Al Maktoum said in a statement on May 1.
The exhibits would allow visitors to explore what airlines of the future might offer their passengers through a range of innovative technologies and design, such as propulsion systems – not just advances in engine technologies that can increase thrust while reducing emissions, but even the potential for electric engines.
Also, the exhibit would canvass the future of the fuselage, in terms of design and technology materials. Visitors would be able to experience dynamic seating layouts and ergonomics, the latest in immersive onboard experiences and intelligent interfaces and windowless fuselages. It would also allow them to understand the technology behind “smarter seats”.
Another focus was on the latest in airport technology, including biometric identification. Those going through the pavilion would be able to experience a biometric end-to-end passenger processing system which used iris recognition, and examine wearable technologies and multiple biometrics and human recognition systems such as brain scanning and voice biometrics.
Emirates also planned to include a future lab in the pavilion to that aimed to look at innovative metallic and composite materials offering lighter weight with greater strength and less corrosion to improve fuel economy and flying performance.
Further, the exhibits would also help visitors to understand the science behind flight, and to learn about the basic principles of aerodynamics.
The design of the pavilion itself would reflect the futuristic theme by utilising modern building technologies, along with sustainable design elements like responsive shading, integrated solar arrays and off-site fabrication.
Its third storey will boast a skygarden, while the level below will house an auditorium, but the heart of the pavilion will be the interactive experiences greeting visitors as they enter at ground level.
Emirates said the pavilion would have the capacity to welcome 56,000 visitors per month during the six-month Expo, which will be held in Dubai from October 20, 2020 to April 10, 2021.
VIDEO: A fly-through video of Emirates’ pavilion at Dubai Expo 2020 from the airline’s YouTube channel.
