Tells Aviation Leadership Summit Of NextGen Benefits

Editor's Note: Below is the unedited text of a speech given Friday by FAA Acting Administrator Bobby Sturgell (right), at the Aviation Leadership Summit held in conjunction with the 2008 Singapore Air Show. In the speech, Sturgell ties in his agency's efforts to implement the much-touted "NextGen" air traffic control system with a new initiative to promote regional cooperation to reduce aviation emissions --  the Asia and South Pacific Initiative to Reduce Emissions, or ASPIRE.

Let me begin by thanking Singapore’s Ministry of Transport, the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore and the International Air Transport Association for the invitation. It’s an honor to participate on such a distinguished panel of aviation experts.

If there’s one thing you can say about aviation, it’s that we’re an industry ready to step up to a challenge. We always have been. In some cases, these challenges are unique to our own domestic systems. Other challenges call on the global aviation community to act together. Today, I would like to talk to you on a global scale about one of our biggest global challenges — reducing aviation greenhouse gas emissions.

Just as we’ve always been willing to step up to challenges, we also share a good track record in finding solutions. This one won’t be easy. However, the answers are out there, and I know we can work collectively to find them.

What’s most important is that we work together and search for answers that will promote continued growth in our industry. We can do this if we focus on technologies instead of taxes; new procedures, not penalties; and unified solutions — nothing unilateral.

We’ve already demonstrated that we can tackle this problem in a real growth environment. In the United States, greenhouse gas emissions generated by the U.S. aviation system have actually dropped by about 4 percent since the year 2000. At the same time, airlines moved 12 percent more passengers and 22 percent more freight.

Rest assured, we’re not stopping there. We need to do more.

That’s why the FAA launched a five-pronged plan last month to address aviation’s impact on climate change. This plan is part of the U.S. Next Generation Air Transportation System effort. NextGen is a comprehensive initiative to transform our national aviation system to manage the increases in air traffic predicted by 2025.

NextGen is green. Through it, we’ll improve the scientific understanding of the effects of aviation on climate change. NextGen promotes continued improvements in the development of environmentally friendly aircraft. It steps up research on alternative fuels. It accelerates air traffic management reforms that can contribute to a reduction in aviation emissions.

And NextGen is collaborative. On the basis of guidance developed through ICAO and mutual consent of governments, it ensures the appropriate use of cost-beneficial, market-based measures. I’m talking about emissions trading, tax incentives, and carbon offsets.

I’m particularly excited about the potential gains we can achieve by accelerating ATM performance-based operations through collaborative reforms. I’m excited because while technological advances in aircraft, engines, and fuels are being explored to provide significant long-term gains, ATM improvements can provide significant near-term gains.

These gains are real. In the US we have adopted new technologies and procedures at major airports like Atlanta and airlines have reported millions of dollars in fuel and time savings. Less time in the air means less emissions in the air. We can multiply these gains if we implement new procedures in cooperation with our international partners.

Today, we’re extending that across oceans. I’m pleased to announce a new initiative that will promote regional cooperation to reduce aviation emissions. We call this new initiative the Asia and South Pacific Initiative to Reduce Emissions. ASPIRE is the acronym, and I think we can get there.

Let’s be clear about this: ASPIRE is more than just an acronym. From where I stand, it’s a word that defines our vision for future aviation operations in the region. Under this initiative, we will aspire to increase efficiency. Without a doubt, we will aspire to reduce fuel burn. Bottom line: we will ASPIRE to fly green.

ASPIRE will begin as a focused effort, working with our partners in Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific, along with many of the major airlines. It will promote ways to increase the efficiency of operations in the Pacific Ocean.

As we gain experience through actual flight trials and the implementation of new technologies and procedures, we will reach out to more States, air navigation service providers, and IATA and its member airlines within the Asia-Pacific aviation community to promote an expanded regional approach to reducing emissions. ASPIRE can only reach its full potential if the entire region becomes involved.

That’s why working with ICAO remains a high priority. As I said before, this is a global challenge and one that calls for global solutions. These are the same messages that were given by country after country last September during the ICAO General Assembly. And we are moving ahead.

ASPIRE will let us take advantage of Dynamic Airborne Reroute Programs. These allow for airborne reroutes to take advantage of more efficient trajectories based on changing wind and weather patterns.

We’ll also be using Automatic Dependent Surveillance for In-Trail Procedures. We’re in a better position to more accurately verify distances between aircraft. This will lead to more efficient oceanic operations.

We’ll be using Oceanic Tailored Arrivals, a low power, continuous descent approach designed to reduce fuel burn, noise, and emissions while on approach to coastal airports. Trials have already been conducted in San Francisco and Sydney with very positive results. We plan to conduct more trials this year.

Later today, I am going to join Greg Russell from Airservices Australia and Ashley Smout from Airways New Zealand to sign a document that will seal our commitment to work together on ASPIRE. I hope to see you there.

In closing, I would like to thank everyone again for this opportunity to lead today’s “Aviation Green Dream” panel. As I said at the outset, it’s critical that we all work together to find solutions. What we want are solutions that are conducive to continued growth for our aviation industry. That’s what ASPIRE is all about, and I consider it a big step toward a smaller carbon footprint for aviation in the Pacific. Thank you.

FMI: www.faa.gov, www.iata.org, www.singaporeairshow.com.sg