Airport operator BAA Heathrow has been working with Airbus, Singapore Airlines and UK air navigation service provider NATS for a year to develop improved departure procedure for the A380, reducing fuel consumption and emissions.
This effort fits into a broader strategy being rolled out by other carriers working with London's major airports to reduce emissions and noise on the ground and during departures.
This new A380 procedure is designed to save 300kg (660lb) of fuel per flight, equating to one metric tonne of carbon dioxide emissions, on a flight to Singapore, as well as reducing NOx emissions and meeting noise parameters at Heathrow.
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SIA A380 at London's Heathrow Airport |
The new procedure has now been approved and is already in use by SIA. BAA says that the procedure is being outlined to Heathrow's other A380 operators Emirates and Qantas.
A380s departing Heathrow now use less power in taking off, and upon reaching 1,500ft (460m), the crew employ flexible acceleration up to 4,000ft.
Jane Dawes, Heathrow's operational noise and air quality manager, says that by 2020 one in 10 flights at Heathrow could be A380s. While pointing out that the A380 was already Heathrow's quietest large aircraft with the lowest per-seat emissions, she says: "It is important that we work constantly with our airlines to improve operating processes, and the introduction of these new departure procedures demonstrates our commitment to reducing emissions."
Singapore Airlines' senior vice-president flight operations Capt Gerard Yeap says: "Our co-operation with Heathrow, NATS and Airbus goes to show what can be achieved when stakeholders share the same goal of reducing carbon emissions and fuel burn."
This A380 programme fits into a broader strategy involving the operators of London's major airports, the UK Civil Aviation Authority, and principal UK airlines, including British Airways, EasyJet and Virgin Atlantic. The objective of the strategy is to reduce emissions and noise produced during ground operations and departures.
This includes everything from better manoeuvring and taxiing co-ordination, to the use of fixed electrical supplies at the docking points rather than aircraft auxiliary power units or ground power units.
Meanwhile, Stockolm Arlanda airport, Airbus and Swedish carrier Novair, using one of its A320s, have been working with Eurocontrol and the Single European Sky Joint Undertaking team to develop ways of reducing fuel use and noise during approaches to the airport, in a programme dubbed Mint, which stands for Minimum CO2 in the Terminal manoeuvring area.
Source: Flight International
