The Sky's the Limit?

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BBC Radio 4 - The Sky's the Limit?

Jonathan Glancey on the future of aviation with top architect of airports, Lord Foster.

Jonathan Glancey considers the future of aviation with the world's principal architect of airports - Lord Foster. How can flying and airports evolve while cutting emissions?

Norman Foster is the world's principal architect of airports - from Beijing to Mexico City, from Hong Kong to Kuwait, his buildings are remarkable theatres of aviation. 

Foster's passion for flying extends to him piloting himself around the world. But what is the future of flying and its related infrastructure amid the current climate crisis? 

Jonathan Glancey considers some options. He reports on the development in Britain of hydrogen/electric engines that may soon power smaller aircraft, how airports can achieve net zero and the part that drones might play in the future of freight transport. And, interestingly, he discovers new thinking about the airport as a hub for all kinds of activity and transport - but where less, not more, flying takes place.

Presented by Jonathan Glancey
Produced by Susan Marling

A Just Radio production for BBC Radio 4

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