New Procedures Saves Fuel

Representatives from Air New Zealand announced that the airline’s participation in a ground-breaking initiative for arriving from routes over the Pacific Ocean has allowed the airline to save more than 24 tons of jet fuel and reduce CO 2 emissions by more than 76 tons.

Air New Zealand was the first international carrier invited to join the San Francisco Oceanic Tailored Arrivals (OTA) Trial, which is a joint venture between Boeing, NASA, the FAA and the San Francisco International Airport. United Airlines has been the primary participant in the study, along with Air New Zealand and Japan Airlines. The initiative allows aircraft to make full use of interlinked onboard and ground technology to descend into the airport with minimal direct Air Traffic Control intervention. Aircraft flying an OTA procedure begin a very slow gradual descent several hundred miles off the California coast rather than flying a series of level segments as currently required under standard Air Traffic Control procedures. The aircraft is then able to reduce both noise and fuel consumption and thereby reducing its environmental impact. Passengers generally do not notice a significant difference and may find it to be slightly more comfortable due to a more gentle descent and less changes in engine power settings.

Air New Zealand joined the 12-month operation in January this year. Air New Zealand’s General Manager for Airline Operations and Chief Pilot Captain David Morgan said the airline had used the full tailored arrival procedure around thirty times and a partial procedure about 100 times. When the airport is too busy for Air Traffic Control to assign the full procedure, the airline still benefits from a partial procedure, which is being assigned on days when the full procedure is not available.

Each full tailored arrival saves between 650 and 850 pounds of fuel, with lower savings for the partial procedure.

Captain Morgan said the initiative took on a special significance given the challenges for airlines from the record high cost of fuel, and Air New Zealand's efforts to reduce its carbon emissions. “We are committed to reducing the amount of carbon emitted from our operations and have a number of different initiatives in place throughout the business. This includes everything from more efficient flight planning and tracking to more effective use of engine power in all phases of flight and reducing weight on aircraft.”

The San Francisco International Airport Noise Abatement Office has provided NASA and the FAA with detailed radar flight track information and aircraft noise data to support this project. “ SFO is very excited to be assisting Boeing, NASA, the FAA and the participating airlines in the development of this new arrival procedure,” said Airport Director John L. Martin. “Once this procedure is refined and fully implemented, it has the potential to save fuel, reduce emissions and noise, and improve on time efficiency. It very well could be a ‘win-win-win’ for everyone involved.”

Air New Zealand last week announced that it expects to use at least one million barrels of environmentally sustainable fuel annually by 2013. The airline’s next step in leading the global pursuit of proving and commercializing sustainable fuels for use in air travel will be the world’s first flight test on a large passenger aircraft using fuel derived from the jatropha plant. The Air New Zealand Boeing 747-400 Rolls Royce powered test flight is expected to take place in Auckland in the last quarter of this year subject to final regulatory approvals and fuel testing by the engine manufacturer.