Marco Polo altered the course of human history with a three-and-a-half-year journey between Venice and Beijing. Today, the world is far smaller. On a commercial airline, one can travel between those two cities in half a day. Over the next 50 years, experts predict that innovations like AI pilots and advances in metal alloys will take the aerospace industry to entirely new heights.

Both futurists and engineers expect the flight experience to change significantly as engineers will find ways to carve out further efficiencies nose to tail.

Meanwhile, demand for air travel is expected to soar. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, air traffic over the next 20 years will increase 50 percent domestically and double globally. According to a professional services firm, much of this increase will be in emerging economies, especially India and China.

As a result, other types of flying machines, like personal flight drones, could become incredibly important, says Luke Haylock, Global Aerospace Technologist at Arconic, a global technology, engineering, and advanced manufacturing leader for major markets including aerospace.