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More than just saving costs - how airline IT can make a difference for the environment
Not just since global warming has been high on the agenda for everybody, airlines are making every effort to reduce fuel consumption. For them saving fuel is a matter of economic sense and acting responsibly at the same time. For more than ten years now, Lufthansa Systems has been supporting airlines in reducing their fuel cost and increasing their eco-efficiency. Combining its operational and IT know-how, Lufthansa Systems has developed what is currently the world’s most advanced flight planning system. The Lido OC (Operations Center) system allows airlines to operate their flights in the most fuel efficient manner possible.
On a single B747-400 flight from Frankfurt to Chicago more than 4.000 kilograms of kerosene can be saved by route optimization, which equals a reduction of carbon dioxide-emissions by more than twelve tons for a single flight. More than 30 carriers worldwide are saving costs and fuel by calculating their routes with Lido OC, among them Air Canada, British Airways, Finnair, Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines, and KLM. In 2006 Lufthansa alone reduced it fuel consumption with the help of Lido OC by 180.000 tons and cut its emissions of carbon dioxide by 575.000 tons.
Another way of avoiding unnecessary fuel burn is to calculate optimum take-off-thrust for every flight with respect to the aircraft’s weight, runway length and weather conditions using Lufthansa Systems’ take-off performance system. For the Lufthansa fleet this system alone generated about 3.000 tons of fuel savings and a reduction of more than 9.000 tons of carbon-dioxide in 2006. Additionally this software helps to increase the time engines are in service before they need to be overhauled.
As no two aircraft are exactly the same Lufthansa Systems has developed a monitoring tool which allows tracking the performance of every single aircraft in a fleet. Correcting the performance of an individual A320 by a mere 2.5 percent relative to the average of the fleet would save about 250 kg of fuel for a single flight from London to Moscow.
There are many ways to improve the overall air traffic system to make it more fuel efficient. A single European air traffic system for example would reduce fuel consumption by eight to twelve percent. Free flight and 4D navigation will deliver significant benefits for the environment. IT plays a pivotal role in each of these efforts to make air traffic greener.
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