Airbus has opened its new Wing Technology Development Centre (WTDC) at its Filton, UK site.

The new facility will help Airbus accelerate the design, build and testing of wings for next generation aircraft.

The facility is equipped with the latest technology and world-leading demonstrators to further improve the performance of wings, and was opened on July, 04 by Nusrat Ghani, UK minister of state at the Department for Business and Trade.

Airbus state that alongside engine optimisation, making wings longer, leaner and lighter is one of the biggest opportunities to improve fuel efficiency, reduce CO2 and ultimately work towards the aviation industry’s ambition to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

Sue Partridge, head of the Filton site and ‘Wing of Tomorrow Programme’ at Airbus, said: “The new Wing Technology Development Centre will help us to ground our research in practicality.

“A key element of how we deliver technology for next generation aircraft wings is through Wing of Tomorrow (WoT), our largest research and technology programme led by the team in the UK.

“Last week, we achieved a critical milestone in the programme when our second wing demonstrator was completed by the team in Broughton, Wales and delivered to the WTDC. Here it will be prepared for structural testing in our Aerospace Integrated Research and Technology Centre (AIRTeC).”

The WoT programme will allow Airbus to explore new manufacturing and assembly technologies so future generations can continue to benefit from flying.

Partridge added: “It’s about preparing our people, technology, industrial system, supply chain and digital and physical capabilities for next generation aircraft. We’re leveraging industry partners and the very best digital tools and automation to identify potential technology bottlenecks that may slow us down in the future. The foundations we lay now will help us build better and faster when the time comes.”

The WTDC adds to Airbus’ existing research and technology footprint in the UK, including the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) in Broughton and both the ZEROe Development Centre and Aerospace Integrated Research & Test Centre (AIRTeC) at its Filton site.