INDIGO EU Project

INDIGO is a collaborative project between academia, research centres and airports that aims at identifying the margins of improvement in airport local air quality and noise resulting from the introduction of a new non-conventional mid-range aircraft featuring distributed propulsion based on hybrid electric/sustainable and conventional fuel powertrain and large aspect-ratio wings capable to fly quietly and in zero-to-low-emission mode (i.e. electric and SAF) at low altitudes near airports and resort to conventional aviation fuel only when required, e.g. at higher altitudes or to recharge batteries during cruise. INDIGO will explore a new paradigm for the next-generation of silent and clean mid-range aircraft and for the way such a new aircraft will allow transforming the operations “at and near” airports. It will introduce improved methods for the analysis of future aviation environmental impact that, under the filter of uncertainty, will be able to account for non-conventional aircraft performance and future airport scenarios.