Estimates Are The Super Jumbo Can Reduce CO2 Emissions By Three
Tons Using Optimized Procedures
An Airbus-led consortium in partnership with Air France and the
air navigation service providers from UK, Canada and the US (NATS,
Nav Canada and the FAA) will shortly commence 'Transatlantic Green
Flight' (TGF) trials with an Air France A380 on revenue flights
from New York (JFK) to Paris (CDG). Under a recent contract from
the SESAR Joint Undertaking (SJU), these A380 TGF trials are part
of the second wave the Atlantic Interoperability Initiative to
reduce Emissions - "AIRE2". The first phase, AIRE, was jointly
launched by the European Commission and the FAA in June 2007 at the
Paris Air Show.
The TGF flights, for which Airbus has brought together numerous
parties, are due to take place over a six to eight week period
commencing in the fourth quarter of 2010. These will cover the
optimization of the taxi-out procedure at John F. Kennedy airport,
as well as the en-route leg over the Atlantic. Overall it is
estimated that each A380 flight can reduce CO2 emissions by around
three tonnes, compared with existing procedures.
"These transatlantic flight trials will help to move the
industry towards more efficient operational concepts and
sustainable growth over the longer term," says Charles Champion,
Executive Vice President of Engineering at Airbus. "What we trial
today with the A380 will contribute to setting tomorrow's
standards, thanks to system-wide Air Traffic Management
improvements prepared by programmes like SESAR and NextGen."
The FAA will support Air France to start each trial with a
fuel-saving 'reduced engine taxi' from the gate to the runway at
JFK. This will be enabled via estimates of taxi time, allowing for
A380 taxiing powered by only two of its four engines. Meanwhile,
NATS and Nav Canada will facilitate the Atlantic portion of the
flight which will reduce CO2 emissions through an optimized
trajectory where more flexibility will be arranged for speed,
altitude and lateral routing. This trajectory takes advantage of
the A380's high optimum cruise altitude of 39,000ft and above.
Airbus is also engaged as a partner in two further AIRE2 trials,
called 'VINGA' and 'Green Shuttle'. VINGA, which builds on the
experience of last year's AIRE 'MINT' flight trials (with Novair
and Swedish Air Navigation Service provider LFV), will now for the
first time validate a transition from a curved RNP 0.3 arrival to
an ILS approach at Gothenburg Landvetter Airport. This operational
implementation will be facilitated by Airbus' RNP services
subsidiary, Quovadis. Meanwhile, the 'Green Shuttle' project, in
partnership with Air France and the French air navigation service
provider DSNA, seeks to optimize all phases of the airline's 'La
Navette' flights between Paris-Orly and Toulouse which are operated
with A320 Family aircraft.