Sports brand Nike and creative consultancy Teague have designed a concept aircraft cabin interior to explore the effect of air travel on professional athletes (+ slideshow).

The Athlete's Plane has been designed as a "training room in the sky, providing facilities for sports professionals to prepare for, and recover from, matches or events".

Teague collaborated with Nike to come up with an aircraft interior that accommodates lie-flat seating for athletic builds and includes plug-in compression sleeves to ice sore muscles.

"Air travel often hinders athletic performance due to the impact on physical, physiological and cognitive functions," said Teague creative director Philipp Steiner.

"When professional athletes travel across multiple time zones their team is statistically more likely to lose — the Athlete's Plane essentially levels the playing field," he said.

Teague worked with researchers at Nike to focus on four areas of performance innovation: recovery, circulation, sleep and thinking.

A zoned cabin would separate the testing facilities from sleeping areas, which would have space for full sports teams.

The seats are housed in individual capsules, staggered for privacy, and fully recline to help the occupant get a good night's sleep.

The design also features lounge areas that the athletes can use to relax in without being confined to their designated seats.

Equipped with technology for monitoring and analysing biometrics, the plane would provide insights into how flying affects the body as well as apparatus for diagnosing and treating injuries.

The cabin is designed with enough space for athletes to wander around, helping to improve blood flow around the body.

Screens are incorporated for showing films in preparation for games or analysing performance afterwards.