United Airlines will become the first airline to conduct two trans-Atlantic flights (Chicago to Frankfurt and back ) using advanced flight planning to reduce environmental impact and save fuel. The flights, being flown today (5 June 2010) are expected to save nearly 6,400 pounds of fuel (roughly 940 gallons US) and to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by nearly 20,000 pounds, compared to flights with conventional flight planning.
United will use a flight planning system to compute optimum routing, altitudes and speeds based on winds and aircraft performance capabilities and is partnering with NAV Canada, Canada’s civil air navigation service, and NATS, the UK’s leading provider of air traffic control services. United is conducting the flights as part of several efforts aimed at advancing technological and process improvements that will contribute to environmental sustainability and increased fuel savings.
United will also use external power and air conditioning at the gates to limit the use of the aircraft’s auxiliary power unit (AAPU) and will coordinate with O’Hare ground control to minimize taxi time to the runway thereby reducing taxi fuel burn.
United will utilize Automatic Dependent Surveillance - Broadcast (ADS-B) technology and new procedures based on the Future Air Navigation System (FANS) and a variable Mach cruise approach will be the largest component of the test. Overall, the effort will study the environmental benefits, the costs of leveraging planned technological enhancements, applying aircraft separation procedures and surveillance standards in the busiest corridor of airspace across the North Atlantic. This airspace combines a flexible transition corridor from continental Europe aligned with the oceanic airspace over southern Greenland and the East coast of Canada.
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