Jetliners to fly green skies

A low-cost airline is attempting to make the saying “fly the friendly skies” a whole lot friendlier. Britain-based easyJet recently announced a plan to develop a type of aircraft that emits 50 percent less carbon dioxide than its current planes.

Designing the short-haul aircraft with a narrow, lightweight body would help achieve the more efficient mode of air travel, according to the airline.

The company is in communication with two major engine manufacturers and the plan is to deliver the planes by 2015. If successful, easyJet would beat pollution-reduction targets set forth by the Advisory Council for Aeronautical Research in Europe by five years.