UK billionaire entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson has raised the prospect of planes being made entirely from the so-called wonder material, graphene, within 10 years, as the airline industry labours under a 50% increase in fuel in the past year, sparking a desperate need for lighter fleets.
The Virgin Atlantic president described the super-lightweight material as a "breakthrough technology" which, he said, could help revolutionise the airline industry and transform its cost base.
Speaking in Seattle, where Virgin has just begun flights on a daily basis, Branson said: "Graphene is even lighter [than carbon fibre], many times lighter and many times stronger.
"Hopefully graphene can be the planes of the future.10 years down the line. They would be massively lighter than the current planes, which again would make a difference on fuel burn."
Graphene is a single layer of carbon atoms forming a regular hexagonal pattern and is extracted from graphite. It has a litany of uses and is said to be as light as a feather yet stronger than steel.
The entrepreneur likened the push for graphene planes to urging Airbus and Boeing to make planes from carbon fibre, a battle he won.
Boeing's latest 787 Dreamliner planes, which Virgin is flying on the London Heathrow-Seattle route, are made from 50% carbon fibre and other composite materials, as opposed to the traditional 100% aluminium. They use 30% less fuel than their standard alternatives.
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