Project with Port of Seattle, Boeing and FAA aims to reduce aircraft fuel
consumption, emissions and noise through improved airport approach procedures
SEATTLE, July 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- This summer Alaska Airlines
began testing next-generation flight procedures at Seattle-Tacoma
International Airport (Sea-Tac) that will allow the airline and its sister
carrier, Horizon Air, to reduce their environmental impact during airport
approaches. Dubbed "Greener Skies," the project in cooperation with the Port
of Seattle, The Boeing Company and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
is focused on using satellite-based flight guidance technology pioneered by
Alaska Airlines to descend more efficiently and reduce aircraft fuel
consumption, emissions and noise in the Puget Sound region. The airline is
seeking FAA approval for the procedures, which could ultimately be used by all
properly equipped carriers at Sea-Tac.
Testing began June 16 on an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-700 aircraft during
a noncommercial flight. Using satellite guidance technology called Required
Navigation Performance (RNP), the plane flew a consistent and controlled
approach to Sea-Tac with pinpoint accuracy, reducing flight-path length,
ground noise and greenhouse-gas emissions, and saving time and fuel.
The efficient, continuous descent approaches at Sea-Tac enabled by this
next-generation technology will benefit Seattle in several ways. Alaska
Airlines estimates the procedures will cut fuel consumption by 2.1 million
gallons annually and reduce carbon emissions by 22,000 metric tons, the
equivalent of taking 4,100 cars off the road every year. In addition, they
will reduce overflight noise exposure for an estimated 750,000 people living
within the affected flight corridor.
"These improved flight procedures at Sea-Tac will help Alaska Airlines and
Horizon Air minimize the environmental impact of our flying on the communities
we serve," said Gary Beck, Alaska's vice president of flight operations. "With
FAA approval, we hope the procedures will be available to all carriers and
gradually integrated into the Seattle air traffic system. This project could
also become a blueprint for expanded use of next-generation technology at more
U.S. airports."
Typically, commercial aircraft approach follow a lengthy approach pattern
and series of stair-step descents before landing. Using RNP technology and a
continuous descent, also called an optimized profile descent (OPD), aircraft
can descend from cruise altitude to an airport runway along a shorter, more
direct flight path at low power.
"This effort aligns with the Port of Seattle's commitment to operate the
greenest airport in the nation," said Mark Reis, managing director of
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. "With Alaska and Horizon representing
nearly half of the daily operations at Sea-Tac, this program not only benefits
our regional environment but also helps the airlines to operate more
efficiently at Sea-Tac. We are working closely with Alaska, Boeing and the FAA
to ensure these benefits are realized by our community as quickly as
possible."
Alaska Airlines pioneered RNP precision flight-guidance technology during
the mid-1990s to help its planes land at some of the world's most remote and
geographically challenging airports in the state of Alaska. RNP provides
computer-plotted landing paths with pinpoint accuracy by using a combination
of onboard navigation technology and GPS satellites. It improves safety and
reliability in all weather, and reduces reliance on ground-based navigation
aids. Alaska Airlines currently uses FAA-approved RNP procedures at 23 U.S.
airports.
Alaska Airlines is the only major U.S. air carrier with a completely
RNP-equipped fleet and fully trained crews. Alaska is also the first airline
approved by the FAA to conduct its own RNP flight validation. Horizon Air's
fleet soon will be fully RNP-equipped as well.
RNP and OPD are part of the Next Generation Air Transportation System, the
FAA's plan to modernize the National Airspace System through 2025. This
initiative will increase airspace capacity and efficiency while improving
safety and reducing environmental impacts through the replacement of legacy
ground-based equipment with new satellite-based technology and aircraft
navigation capabilities.
As part of the initial Alaska Airlines RNP operational approval team,
Boeing began installing RNP guidance technology on its aircraft in 1994.
Currently all Boeing production airplanes are RNP-capable, and solutions are
available to upgrade the in-service fleet. The Boeing Company is continuing
this pioneering tradition by working with Alaska Airlines, the FAA and the
Port of Seattle in implementing RNP solutions and the Greener Skies program
for Sea-Tac.
"Boeing is committed to working with Alaska Airlines and the Port of
Seattle to increase efficiency in the way their airplanes approach and depart
from Sea-Tac and other airports across the country," said Per Noren, director
of Airport Infrastructure for Boeing Commercial Airplanes. "Using these
advanced technology solutions, airlines around the world can save hundreds of
pounds of fuel per flight, which is a significant step toward further reducing
emissions from aviation."
Planning and testing of the procedures will continue through the remainder
of the year. They will be integrated into Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air's
commercial operations at Sea-Tac pending FAA approval, which the airlines hope
to obtain in 2010.
Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air, subsidiaries of Alaska Air Group (NYSE:
ALK), together serve more than 90 cities through an expansive network in
Alaska, the Lower 48, Hawaii, Canada and Mexico. Alaska Airlines ranked
"Highest in Customer Satisfaction Among Traditional Network Carriers" in the
J.D. Power and Associates 2008 and 2009 North America Airline Satisfaction
Studies(SM). For reservations, visit alaskaair.com. For more news and
information, visit the Alaska Airlines/Horizon Air Newsroom at
alaskaair.com/newsroom.
Note to news media: High-resolution images of the technology are available
for download from the Alaska Airlines Newsroom image gallery at
www.alaskaair.com/newsroom. Broadcast footage is also available by contacting
Alaska Airlines Media Relations.
SOURCE: Alaska Air Group
CONTACT:
Bobbie Egan of Alaska Airlines, +1-206-392-5134;
or Perry
Cooper of Port of Seattle, +1-206-431-4923;
or Terrance Scott of The Boeing
Company, +1-206-766-2949;
or Allen Kenitzer of Federal Aviation
Administration, +1-425-227-2004
Web Site: http://www.alaskaair.com