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Boeing has unveiled a new prototype aircraft equipped with fuel-efficient technology in collaboration with American Airlines and the US Federal Aviation Administration.

Boeing flight tested the next-generation 737-800 ecoDemonstrator aeroplane for 45 days at Glasgow, Montana, before showcasing it at Reagan National Airport in Washington DC.

American Airlines loaned the next-generation aircraft to Boeing in order to test the advanced technologies.

"One technology used is a regenerative fuel cell that uses the excess energy produced when the aeroplane is reaching the right altitude, to break down ionised water into oxygen and hydrogen, which can be stored for future use to power the systems when there is less fuel."

Flight testing allowed Boeing engineers to collect data about the feasibility of each technology, and once the complete testing of the flight has been carried out, the aircraft will be returned to its regular configuration and delivered to American Airlines later this year.

The prototype aeroplane is equipped with a set of technologies, which could improve fuel efficiency, as well as reduce noise and emissions.

One such technology is a regenerative fuel cell that uses the excess energy produced when the aeroplane is reaching the right altitude, to break down ionised water into oxygen and hydrogen, which can be stored for future use to power the systems when there is less fuel.

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Other technologies on the 2012 ecoDemonstrator include variable area fan nozzles that changes engine efficiency, adaptive wing trailing edges for optimisising aerodynamics and software to smooth flight trajectories in order to reduce fuel consumption.

The 2012 ecoDemonstrator is the first of several test platforms that Boeing plans to carry out every year.

The costs of adaptive trailing edge on the aeroplane and flight tests were funded by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) under its continuous lower energy, emissions, and noise (CLEEN) programme.

Image: The ecoDemonstrator airplane is equipped with advanced technologies to reduce emissions, fuel consumption and noise. Photo: courtesy of Boeing.