Brazilian Students Win Airbus Competition

A team of students from the University of São Paulo in Brazil have claimed the top prize of €30,000 as winners of Airbus Fly Your Ideas 2013. Team Levar won for its proposal for a luggage loading and unloading system for airplane cargo compartments to reduce the workload of airport baggage handlers with an air cushion solution inspired by air hockey tables. Supported by Unesco, Airbus Fly Your Ideas is a biennial competition that challenges students worldwide to develop ideas for a more sustainable aviation industry.

The winning team consists of University of São Paulo design students Marcos Philipson, Leonardo Akamatsu, Adriano Furtado and Caio Reis, and Henrique Corazza, who studies at Loughborough University in the UK. All appeared at the Paris Air Show on Monday in the EADS Pavilion.