ASPIRE Seeks To Lessen Aviation's Environmental Footprint

Japan became the latest partner in the Asia and Pacific Initiative to Reduce Emissions (ASPIRE), which is designed to make aircraft operations in the region more efficient in order to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases.

"This is an important milestone in our collective effort to lessen aviation's environmental footprint," said FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt, who signed the agreement along with Ryuhei Maeda, the Director General of the Japanese Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB), Tuesday in Osaka. "We have all pledged to adopt and promote best practices that will benefit the environment."

Japan joins the FAA, Airservices Australia and Airways New Zealand as partners to ASPIRE, which began in February 2008. Goals of the partnership include identifying and sharing procedures that produce environmental benefits, quantifying green enhancements in the region over the last decade, and establishing fuel and emissions baselines for current operations, along with future performance benchmarks.

A Japan Airlines flight from Honolulu to Osaka preceding the signing ceremony is the latest ASPIRE flight demonstration to reduce emissions and to save time and fuel by utilizing the most efficient, advanced technologies and procedures. These include procedures such as just-in-time fueling, using preferred routes over the ocean, optimizing speed and altitude and using a tailored-arrival approach to the destination airport.

There have been three previous ASPIRE demonstration flights. An Air New Zealand 777 flying from Auckland to San Francisco last September saved 7,700 pounds of fuel and 27,700 pounds of carbon dioxide. A Qantas A380 flying from Los Angeles to Melbourne last October saved 19,600 pounds of fuel and 61,700 pounds of carbon dioxide. And a United 747 flying from Sydney to San Francisco last November saved 10,500 pounds of fuel and 33,100 pounds of carbon dioxide.

FMI: www.faa.gov