14
Flightpath.
» AIRLINES
Etihad Airways and Jettainer have partnered to launch a new lightweight and double-width Unit Load Device (ULD), known as type ALF. Compared to traditional doublewidth ULDs which typically weigh in at 196 kilograms, the new ALF model is almost 34% lighter at 130kg, a potential weight saving of 116kg per flight. Etihad Airways will take delivery of 250 of the ULDs this year and the airline estimates that the significant weight reduction will result in fuel savings in the order of $350,000 in 2013 and approximately $1.1 million in 2014. Projected reductions in CO2 emissions are 1,100 tonnes for 2013 and 4,000 tonnes for 2014. The certified ULDs are manufactured from a range of composite materials which guarantee strength. David Kerr, Etihad Airways’ vice president cargo, said, “Being more efficient in our operations, lowering our fuel burn, reducing our CO2 impact, and optimising our costs will continue to drive our business in the years ahead, and we look forward to working with Jettainer and its manufacturers to identify further opportunities for weight savings initiatives.”
2
» AIRLINES
GOING DIGITAL IN THE COCKPIT
American Airlines has completed the successful rollout of its industryleading electronic flight bag programme with the discontinuation of paper revisions to terminal charts, making it the first major commercial airline to fully utilise tablets in all cockpits during all phases of flight. In April, American completed testing on its Boeing 757 and 767 aircraft and has secured FAA approval to use the Apple iPad on all of its current fleet types. It is estimated that the move towards the electronic flight bags will reduce CO2 emissions by 3,800 tonnes. An electronic flight bag, which replaces more th an 15 kilograms of paper-based reference material and manuals that pilots often carried in their carry-on kitbag, offers numerous benefits for American and its pilots. “Our electronic flight bag programme has a significant positive environmental and cost-savings impact,” said David Campbell, American’s vice president — safety and operations performance. “In fact, removing the kitbag from all of our planes saves a minimum of 1.5 million litres and $1.2 million of fuel annually based on current fuel prices. Additionally, each of the more than 8,000 iPads we have deployed to date replaces more than 3,000 pages of paper previously carried by every active pilot and instructor. Altogether, 24 million pages of paper documents have been eliminated.” All American pilots now enjoy the benefits associated with replacing their heavy kitbags — one of the airline’s biggest sources of pilot injuries — with a 600 gram iPad. The digital format also requires less time to update each of the six or more paper manuals found in each pilot’s kitbag, as manual paper revisions take hours to complete every month, compared to the minutes it takes for electronic updates. As part of the electronic flight bag programme, American’s pilots use mobile software and data from Jeppesen, a unit of Boeing Digital Aviation. The FAA-approved Jeppesen mobile terminal chart application is allowed for gate-to-gate use throughout all phases of flight and, with the exception of a few select documents, replaces paper operating manuals with up-to-date electronic information that is easier to access. American and the Allied Pilots Association began working on the feasibility of using a tablet device as an electronic flight bag in June 2010, and American was the first commercial airline to receive FAA approval to use a tablet during all phases of flight in December 2011, on its Boeing 777 fleet. American has worked closely with its pilots throughout all phases of development that led to the programme’s full integration. F. »» Other airlines rolling out iPad electronic flight bags for pilots include United Airlines, British Airways, Alaska Airlines, All Nippon Airways, Air Canada, JetBlue and Southwest.
[ETIHAD AIRWAYS]
1
[AMERICAN AIRLINES]
LIGHTENING THE LOAD AT ETIHAD