Table of contentsIntroductionReducing weight in the cabin to save fuelOperational practices: single-engine taxiingtowed taxiingImproving aerodynamics: WingletsSome other strategies followed by airlines to save fuel futureIntroductionCurrently, with rising fuel prices and increased competition from other modes of transport, airlines are trying by all means to reduce operational costs and increase their revenues. Among the items that represent a considerable part of their expenses are fuel costs. Many factors are responsible for the amount of fuel consumed by airplanes. This includes the size and configuration of the aircraft, the age and efficiency of the engines, the number of people it carries, the structure of the aircraft, and environmental factors such as wind speed and temperature. ambient. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay Although many of these things are beyond the airlines' control, there are steps airlines can take to dramatically improve fuel economy and save millions. dollars in annual fuel costs. This includes purchasing a new aircraft, improving the technology on board the aircraft, improving the way the aircraft is operated. This involves: a) Flying more efficient routes: With the right information, pilots can fly the shortest routes, taking advantage of external factors and fuel-saving takeoff and landing trajectories. b) Know the airport: Every airport is different. Airlines can reduce their fuel consumption by understanding and adopting best practices for flights to and from airports, holding patterns and taxiing between the runway and the terminal.c) Adapt to changes : With access to the most recent data such as real-time weather updates, pilots can adopt heading and altitude changes to minimize the impact of winds, turbulence and other natural conditions that could lead to increased fuel consumption. We will discuss technological improvements and some basic operational strategies made mandatory by several airlines to Reduce weight in the cabin to save fuel. In 1987, American Airlines removed a single olive from each of its onboard salads, Robert Crandall, then airline chief, noticed that olives were not consumed by 75% of their guests. . This led to a reduction of one ounce in weight per tray of food, resulting in a total savings of $40,000 per year. Airlines have been reducing the weight carried on their planes for decades. From the lightweight aluminum seat frame to the number of serving trays used in the cabin, airlines have tried it all and are still reducing what they carry. United Airlines recently made headlines with its decision to go lean. articles in their flight magazines. I mean, how much lighter can paper be? According to Per United, they were able to save an ounce on each charger, thereby reducing costs. United operates 744 mainline aircraft of various models, each carrying approximately 50 to 366 passengers. For a normal 737 plane carrying 180 passengers, the reduction will lead to around 11 pounds per flight. The airline stated thatthis method of weight reduction saved 170,000 gallons of fuel per year, or $290,000 in annual fuel costs. United also stopped the onboard sale of duty-free items like perfume, chocolates and liquor cups 1.4 million gallons of fuel per year for a savings of $2. 3 million. Virgin Atlantic recently announced a modified tray design that can accommodate more trays when stacked. Nearly 33% more trays per trolley can be accommodated, allowing Virgin Atlantic to get rid of a tray trolley on each flight, saving around £53 per flight. They announced that losing one pound of weight from each plane in its fleet would save 53,000 gallons of fuel per year, totaling thousands of dollars. Lufthansa also made news with its decision to reduce weight by replacing its existing containers with a lightweight container that weighs 31 pounds less. This represents a weight of 15.4 million pounds given the size of their fleet, which is expected to save the airline 2,000 tonnes of fuel each year. In 2011, United Airlines purchased 11,000 iPads to replace bulky paper pilot manuals and replaced them with them, saving 326,000 gallons of fuel per year. Recently, the US Air Force joined the trend and replaced its flight bags with 18,000 tablets, saving approximately $50 million per year. Today, American Airlines replaced its Kitbags with iPads, which will save thousands of gallons of fuel as it flies more than 14,000 flights daily. Operational practices: taxiing on a single engine Taxiing time is defined as the time the aircraft spends at the airport before takeoff. Here, planes wait on the surface with their engines running, which also includes time spent on the taxiway system and in runway queues. Aircraft taxiing contributes significantly to fuel consumption and emissions at airports. With giant engines that pump out gallons of fuel every second. The amount of fuel consumed depends on each aircraft's taxi times, other factors such as engine throttle settings, the number of engines being powered, and control room decisions regarding engine shutdowns during delays. Fuel consumption and emissions could be cut by almost half if all planes operated using only a minimum number of engines wherever possible. This means using a single engine for twin-engine aircraft. This method is called single-engine taxiing. All engines must be warmed up before takeoff, for a period which varies from 5 to 10 minutes depending on the engine type. Therefore, even if engine power is not required for taxiing, it is necessary for all engines to run for at least 5 to 10 minutes before takeoff. Thus, if the taxiing time of an aircraft is less than five minutes, a taxiing scenario on a single engine would not modify either the pilot's activities or the surface emissions of this flight. Alternatively, if a plane taxis for more than five minutes, emissions are reduced by the amount of pollutants that any of its engines would produce during the taxiing period longer than five minutes. This method is not applied on ascending slopes or slippery surfaces, or when de-icing operations are necessary, as the asymmetric forces could cause the aircraft to deviate from its path and even result in fatalities. Aircraft manufacturers such as Airbus and Boeing recommend that airlines adopt taxiing onsingle-engine aircraft when conditions are favorable, and yet only a few airlines follow it. There is potential for significant savings from running on a single engine; for example, it is estimated that American Airlines and Emirates could save between $10 million and $12 million per year by following this procedure. In a recent single-engine survey conducted in two different regions, 52% of pilots reported using this method more than 75% of the time. at the time, when they were rarely used during departures and 54% of pilots reported using them less than 10% of the time. Common reasons are: Excessive pushing and related problems. Maneuverability difficulties, mainly linked to tight turns on the taxiway and weather conditions. Problems with starting the second engine. Distraction and workload issues. Towed driving Another approach that has been proposed to reduce fuel consumption and emissions. involves shutting down all engines and operating only the auxiliary power unit and towing the aircraft to the runway, rather than using the engines for taxiing. This procedure is also known as dispatch towing. During departing tows, the engines are only turned on five minutes before takeoff to warm up. These aircraft are then towed to the runways using a towing system.vehicles in the ground. As a result, aircraft emissions are reduced. Although previously tested by Virgin Atlantic for its 747 fleet, the method had to be abandoned after Boeing indicated that the 747's front landing gear was not designed to handle such loads. regular manner. This concept is currently being developed by Airbus, which is studying other means of towing without imposing higher loads on the nose gear. Approximate annual reduction in fuel costs if every American Airlines fleet could adopt this method: $1. 3 billion USD. Shut down APUs at airports as much as possible: Commercial aircraft are equipped with a small, rear-mounted jet engine that acts as a generator. When the main engines are shut down, pilots turn on this smaller motor, called an auxiliary power unit (APU), to provide electrical power while the plane is at the gate. to operate things like cabin lights and air conditioning. The APU also powers the systems used to start the main engine. [image: ]The APU runs on jet fuel, so prolonged use of it results in increased fuel consumption. An alternative to this is the use of an external ground power supply, also known as a GPU, supplied via cable and plugged into the aircraft. This ground power is generated much more efficiently and can power all onboard systems until it is time to start the engines, at which point the APU briefly kicks in. Average fuel reduction per flight: 11 gallons, $34 Image source: www. aerospecialties. comContinuous Descent Arrival (CDA) Continuous Descent Arrival (CDA) or also known as Descent Profile Optimization (DPO) is an aircraft landing technique in which an arriving aircraft descends from an optimal position with minimal thrust and avoids leveling or landing in stages toward the to the extent permitted by the safe operation of the aircraft. In a conventional non-CDA approach, the aircraft descends in stages, with level flight in between. But in the CDA method, the plane stays higher for longer and withreduced engine thrust. These two elements induce a reduction in fuel consumption, emissions and noise throughout the descent profile until the point where the aircraft is established on the final approach path. 1Image source: All Nippon AirwaysThe ideal CDA begins at the start of the descent and ends when the aircraft begins the final approach and follows the glide slope to the runway. Usually CDAs are not possible at all times, not for all arriving flights and not always for the entire descent profile. But measures are being taken at airports to facilitate a higher CDA percentage wherever possible. Descending from a height of 6,000 feet can save up to a quarter ton of fuel for a four-engine aircraft if the CDO method is used. Which will cost around 225 USD per flight. Improving aerodynamics: Winglets Winglets are pointed extensions at the tips of the wings. This is standard equipment in most newer aircraft. [image: ]Winglets help reduce the drag associated with generating lift. This means that it allows the wings to be more efficient when creating lift, so the planes require comparatively less power from the engines. This results in increased fuel economy, reduced CO2 emissions and reduced operational costs for airlines. Winglets help reduce the effects of “induced drag”. Which means that when an aircraft is in flight, the air pressure on the immediate region above the wing is lower than the air pressure below the wing. So, in the region around the wingtips, high-pressure air under the wing rushes toward the low-pressure region at the top. This results in the formation of vortices. The vortices flow over the wings and pull air up and over the wing and also pull air backward. This is called induced drag. With the advent of winglets, the aircraft is able to weaken the force of vortices at the wingtips and reduce induced drag across the entire wing. Boeing claims that the winglets installed on its 757 and 767 aircraft can improve its energy efficiency by 5% and significantly reduce CO2 emissions. An airline that installs winglets on its planes consisting of 60 Boeing 767s is expected to save 500,000 gallons of fuel per year. Some other strategies followed by airlines to save fuel Reduce the use of reverse thrust during landing: Airline pilots generally use the reverse thrust method during landing. The process reverses the thrust and the exhaust is pushed forward and produces deceleration. This method is used to reduce the stopping distance after landing on runways. Although this can reduce brake pad wear, it uses a lot of fuel. Airline pilots are advised not to use reverse thrust unless absolutely necessary, for example if the runway is too short to land without reverse thrust. Avoiding reverse thrust can save approximately 13,800 gallons of fuel per year per aircraft. Washing and Keeping Engine Components Clean: Bits of dust and dirt accumulate on moving engine parts, like compressor parts, and reduce engine efficiency and increase fuel consumption. Engine components must therefore be washed and cleaned regularly to maintain optimal engine performance. Regular cleaning and maintenance of the engines reduced fuel consumption by 17,500 kiloliters per year. Optimization of cruising speed and 2035.