American Airlines 'Eco-Friendly' Test on Trans-Atlantic Flight to Prove Fuel, Carbon Savings Benefits of NextGen Technology
08 Junio 2009 - 7:00AM
PR Newswire (US)
PARIS, June 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- When American Airlines
Flight 63 departs Paris for Miami at 10 a.m. local time on
Thursday, June 11, it will embark upon a journey that aims to prove
that trans-Atlantic flights can be operated a bit greener and
leaner. Through the Atlantic Interoperability Initiative to Reduce
Emissions (AIRE), American will be the first U.S. airline to test
next-generation technology and procedures that will significantly
reduce carbon emissions and save fuel on trans-Atlantic routes. The
testing will be conducted during a normally scheduled flight so
American can obtain real-time benefits. AIRE, a joint initiative
among the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the European
Commission, and several airlines, is designed to speed up
application of new technologies and operational procedures, which
have a direct impact on reducing carbon emissions and noise
pollution as well as conserving fuel. Part of the AIRE project
includes gate-to-gate flight demonstrations to test the benefits of
technologies that will be used with the FAA's NextGen air traffic
management system. "It is critical that the aviation industry work
with our Air Traffic Control partners to demonstrate the benefits
of NextGen technology today. By implementing this technology as
quickly as possible, we can make real and meaningful strides to
reduce our impact on the environment, increase system capacity, and
reduce air traffic delays," said Bob Reding, American's Executive
Vice President - Operations. "Utilizing NextGen technology is a
crucial part of American's overall environmental and fuel savings
efforts. These efforts have already yielded fuel savings of more
than 110 million gallons annually and reduced our carbon emissions
by 2.3 billion pounds in 2008." Using a Boeing 767-300 aircraft,
American Flight 63 will fly from Paris Charles De Gaulle and arrive
at Miami International Airport at 1:55 p.m. EDT. The flight will
conduct several fuel conservation measures, including single-engine
taxi on departure and arrival, continuous climb out and descent,
optimized routing over water, and a "tailored arrival." Several of
these endeavors are already key elements of Fuel Smart, American's
ongoing employee fuel conservation program. In 2009, American aims
to save 120 million gallons of jet fuel and reduce its carbon
emissions by 2.5 billion pounds. Post-flight data analysis by the
FAA, European Commission, and American will determine the carbon
and fuel savings gained on the demonstration flight. The FAA and AA
will then conduct a two-month trial in Miami to continue testing
the next-generation technology and procedures. American has long
been a leader in optimizing air travel efficiency over the
Atlantic. In fact, more than 20 years ago, American pioneered the
routine use of two-engine aircraft on trans-oceanic flights, which
fundamentally changed air operations. Up to that point, almost all
international flights were flown by three- and four-engine
aircraft. American's efforts to open up the Atlantic to two-engine
aircraft resulted in the almost universal shift by Boeing and
Airbus to use two-engine aircraft for international flights. This
resulted in a significant reduction in carbon emissions from older
aircraft and greater fuel efficiency across the industry. About
American Airlines American Airlines, American Eagle and
AmericanConnection(R) serve 250 cities in 40 countries with, on
average, more than 3,400 daily flights. The combined network fleet
numbers more than 900 aircraft. American's award-winning Web site,
AA.com(R), provides users with easy access to check and book fares,
plus personalized news, information and travel offers. American
Airlines is a founding member of the oneworld(R) Alliance, which
brings together some of the best and biggest names in the airline
business, enabling them to offer their customers more services and
benefits than any airline can provide on its own. Together, its
members serve nearly 700 destinations in more than 130 countries
and territories. American Airlines, Inc. and American Eagle
Airlines, Inc. are subsidiaries of AMR Corporation.
AmericanAirlines, American Eagle, AmericanConnection, AA.com, We
know why you fly and AAdvantage are registered trademarks of
American Airlines, Inc. (NYSE: AMR) AmericanAirlines(R) We know why
you fly(R) Current AMR Corp. releases can be accessed on the
Internet. The address is
http://www.aa.com/content/amrcorp/pressReleases/main.jhtml
DATASOURCE: American Airlines CONTACT: Tim Wagner, Corporate
Communications of American Airlines, +1-817-967-1577, Web Site:
http://www.aa.com/
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