Modern aviation is plagued by two burdens: airport congestion and noise pollution. Moving noise away from population areas and reducing the need for extensive infrastructure may be possible thanks to a radical innovation born out of an old idea: seaplanes. Two researchers in the Department of Aeronautics at Imperial College London put the concept forward in a recent study on jumbo planes that could carry up to 2,000 passengers. They claim the main obstacle is not the technology but the will to make it happen.