The rapid growth of aviation in the Asia-Pacific makes it imperative that air navigation services providers (ANSPs), airlines and other industry stakeholders re-examine the way operations are conducted so as to be environmentally friendly and minimise carbon emissions.
Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew emphasised this in his keynote address at the 28th International Federation of Air Traffic Controllers’ Associations Asia-Pacific regional meeting yesterday.
The meeting brought 120 air traffic controllers from more than 16 countries in the Asia-Pacific together to share their views, ideas and experience on this year’s theme, ‘Towards Greener Skies: ATC’s Role in Eco-Friendly Aviation’. Also attending were airline and airport officials, regulators, ANSPs and air traffic service providers.
Referring to the meeting’s theme, Mr Lui said that air traffic control could facilitate greater aircraft fuel efficiencies through astute design and management of the air traffic management (ATM) system via enhanced surveillance, navigational accuracy, and reduction in aircraft-to-aircraft separation (safety permitting).
Aviation accounts for 2 per cent of total global carbon dioxide emissions, but the industry has been an easy target for punitive fees and fines by regulators. The most controversial of these is the European Union’s Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), which kicks in next year.
Mr Lui said that Singapore was committed to putting in place greener ATM initiatives to ensure the long- term sustainability of aviation.
‘The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) has been part of the Asia and Pacific Initiative to Reduce Emissions programme, or Aspire in short,’ he said.
‘In February 2010, CAAS partnered Singapore Airlines to launch the world’s first multi-sector green demonstration flight between Singapore, Tokyo and Los Angeles, which employed enhanced gate-to-gate ATM operational procedures to reduce fuel burn and carbon emissions in all phases of the flight.’
He added that since May this year, CAAS and SIA have taken further steps to reduce the carbon footprint of flights by launching regular non-stop LA-Singapore green flights under the Aspire-Daily City Pair programme.
SIA expects to reduce fuel burn by two tonnes and achieve carbon emission savings of around 6.3 tonnes for each green flight.
‘Through multilateral collaboration among stakeholders in employing ATM best practices and technologies, the LA-Singapore City Pair has been assigned an Aspire 4-star rating,’ said Mr Lui.
CAAS is now collaborating with the Aeronautical Radio of Thailand on implementing collaborative decision making between Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport and Singapore’s Changi Airport under the auspices of the Civil Air Navigation Service Organisation.
CAAS has also been exploring new flight operational procedures that contribute to greener aviation.
The plan is for continuous descent operation procedures to be implemented at Changi Airport in early 2012, Mr Lui revealed.
