KLM helps finance the Flying-V aircraft, where passengers fly behind the scenes

(CNN) – The development of a V-shaped aircraft design and low fuel consumption, known as Flying-V, takes a new impetus with the announcement of the participation of the Dutch national carrier KLM Royal Dutch Airlines.

Its futuristic design integrates the passenger cabin, the fuel tanks and the cargo hold in the wings.

"In recent years, KLM has become a pioneer in sustainable development in the airline industry," said Pieter Elbers, CEO and Chairman of KLM, in a statement. "We are proud of our progressive cooperative relationship with TU Delft, which fits well with KLM's strategy and is an important step for us on the path of strengthening sustainable aviation."

The TU Delft project manager, Roelof Vos, said such an innovation was needed to improve efficiency, while the technology was still being developed to create electric airplanes in large scale.

"Aviation contributes about 2.5% of global CO2 emissions and the sector continues to grow, so we really need to look at more sustainable planes," he told CNN.

"We can not just electrify the whole fleet, because electrified planes are getting way too heavy and you can no longer fly across the Atlantic to electric planes – not now, not in 30 years," Vos said. . "So we have to come up with new technologies that reduce fuel consumption differently.

"We have been piloting these wing and tube aircraft for decades, but it seems that the configuration is reaching a plateau in terms of energy efficiency," he said. "The new configuration we propose creates some synergy between the fuselage and the wing.The fuselage actively contributes to the lift of the aircraft and creates a less aerodynamic drag."

The increase in fuel consumption of the aircraft stems largely from its aerodynamic design, explained Vos, although its reduced weight also contributes to it.

Researchers hope to fly a model in September, said Vos, while a mock-up of the new cabin design will be open to the public at Amsterdam-Schiphol Airport in October, in part of KLM's 100th anniversary celebrations. The completed aircraft is expected to come into service between 2040 and 2050.

The design still requires rigorous testing, Vos told CNN. "We did digital tests and preliminary wind tunnel tests, but we have to do a lot more in the wind tunnels – at high speeds and at low speeds – to show that this plane is efficient, as we think."