Green air traffic system saves fuel, Australia says
Date: 06-Jun-02
Country: AUSTRALIA
Airservices Australia, the national air traffic controller, said it had introduced a range of fuel-saving measures such as reducing the distance between aircraft at different altitudes and holding aircraft on the ground rather than in the air.
"These initiatives have been independently assessed as saving an estimated six percent in fuel usage," said Bernie Smith, chief executive officer of the government-owned Airservices Australia.
Smith said fuel usage had been cut by 750,000 tonnes a year, saving A$80 million ($46 million) annually in the past two years since the system was introduced.
"In the air traffic management area, controllers are applying initiatives that benefit the environment through reduced fuel usage and lower carbon emissions," Smith told a World Environment Day forum in Canberra.
One measure, reducing the vertical separation between aircraft to 1,000 feet from 2,000 feet (330 metres from 660 metres) had cut carbon dioxide emissions by 250,000 tonnes, saving A$20 million in fuel annually, he said.
By safely reducing the separation distance it enabled pilots to have greater flexibility in their flight paths to avoid poor weather and strong head winds - all of which burn up more fuel.
An Airservices Australia official told Reuters that aircraft were also kept on the ground rather than allowed to take-off and then be forced into a holding pattern above airports awaiting a clear flight path. Air traffic controllers also try to allow pilots to use their preferred routes, minimising distances flown.
"The aim is to reduce flying time," he said.
