Giant seaplanes can carry 2,000 passengers at once - without any airport

Seaplanes could be the future of flight, experts claimed.

They revealed a radical 'single wing' seaplane that could carry upto 2,000 passengers.

It would help ease pressure on airports and also allow the use of eco fuels - all without building new airports. 

'The world is experiencing growth in global air traffic and in order to cater for the growing market, the aviation industry is seeking to expand major airports, allowing for the development of bigger, faster, and more efficient aircraft,' experts at Imperial College wrote.

'However, concerns over environmental degradation and noise pollution pose a barrier to the expansion of many already heavily constrained major airports.'

Researchers from Imperial's Department of Aeronautics have developed a design concept for a medium to long-range seaplane, which they say may reduce the pressure on inland airports.

The design takes its inspiration from the flying boat aeroplanes of the 1940s, with a 'blended wing body' configuration, where its hull slopes upwards to blend seamlessly into the underside of the aircrafts' wide wings, lending it a more steamlined appearance.

This design has the advantage of reducing air resistance, or drag, when it is in the air, which could make it more fuel efficient.

This is compared to the Airbus A380, the world's largest passenger airliner currently in operation, , which can hold only to 800 passengers in a trip.

In a study published by the Royal Aeronautical Society, the researchers assessed the possibility of using highly advanced waterborne aircraft as an alternative to conventional planes for trans-Atlantic travel.