**THE TWENTY-SEVENTH MEETING OF THE**

**INFORMAL PACIFIC ATC CO-ORDINATING GROUP**

**(IPACG/27)**

(Tokyo, Japan November 5-9, 2007)

Agenda Item 5: Air Traffic Management (ATM) Issues

**Partnerships for Increasing Efficiency and Reducing Greenhouse Gas
Emissions in Aviation**

(Presented by the Federal Aviation Administration)

1.  **Introduction**

    1.  As aviation services continue to grow we can anticipate an
        increase in the industry's carbon emissions. This is happening
        against a background of (1) emission reductions from some
        sources other than aviation, and (2) the rising values we place
        on environmental quality. If not successfully addressed,
        environmental issues may significantly constrain air
        transportation growth in the 21st century.

    2.  Today, Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSPs) and sponsoring
        governments are assessing the environmental impacts of air
        transportation on the global climate. As a result of these
        assessments, ANSPs have placed renewed emphasis on developing
        service improvements designed to reduce greenhouse gas
        emissions.

    3.  In June 2007, the FAA and the European Commission for Aviation
        announced a partnership to demonstrate a series of technologies
        in the US and Europe focusing on reduction of carbon and
        nitrogen emissions for trans-Atlantic flights. This partnership
        is known as the Atlantic Interoperability Initiative to Reduce
        Emissions (AIRE).

    4.  In August 2007, the FAA presented a series of near and mid-term
        Pacific initiatives to the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation
        forum on Aviation Emissions. In presenting these oceanic
        initiatives, the FAA proposed that Pacific ANSP's and
        governments should consider bilateral and regional partnerships
        to demonstrate end-to-end technologies leading to reduction in
        greenhouse gasses.

2.  **Aviation Emissions and the AIRE Partnership**

    1.  The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
        (IPCC) attributes from 2-3% of global carbon emissions to
        aviation, an impact which the industry is committed to diminish
        as aviation grows. Improving aviation's environmental footprint,
        however, presents a significant challenge. Transport activity is
        expected to increase robustly over the next several decades.
        Demand for air transportation will continue to grow rapidly to
        support our economic productivity and quality of life.

    2.  The air transportation industry provides 28 million direct,
        indirect, and induced jobs worldwide. Aircraft carry
        approximately 40% of all world trade. Last year 2.2 billion
        people flew on the world's airlines, more passengers than ever
        before, with predictions of nine billion passengers by 2025.

    3.  The air transportation industry has a long record of
        environmental achievement. Reduced energy consumption and engine
        emissions are core aviation business principles. Technological
        advancement has reduced aircraft fuel consumption and emissions
        significantly over the last 30 years, and this is expected to
        continue in the future.

    4.  At the Paris Air Show, then FAA Administrator Blakey and Vice
        President Barrot announced the creation of the AIRE Partnership
        to (1) hasten development of operational procedures to reduce
        aviation's environmental footprint for all phases of flight; (2)
        accelerate world-wide interoperability of environmentally
        friendly procedures and standards; (3) capitalize on existing
        technology and best practices; and (4) provide a systematic
        approach to ensure appropriate mitigation actions with short,
        medium and long-term results. Beginning this year, flight trials
        and demonstrations are planned along principal North Atlantic
        routes to validate the benefits of the AIRE Partnership.

    5.  AIRE focus will be "gate-to-gate," beginning at the departure
        gate and terminating when an aircraft arrives at its
        destination. AIRE will adopt a "phased approach" to planned
        flight demonstration initiatives.

    6.  Flight demonstrations will feature new technologies and
        procedural improvements which include:

        1.  Trajectory Based Operations (TBO) on the ground: AIRE will
            leverage promising new technologies to demonstrate the value
            of collaborative surface operations in maximizing airport
            throughput while reducing fuel burn and engine emissions.
            Turbojet aircraft require a significant thrust increase to
            begin moving from a stop, far in excess of that required to
            maintain stabilized taxi. Stops and starts, therefore,
            increase fuel usage and emissions while an aircraft moves on
            the ground. TBO can reduce aircraft stops and starts, with
            lower overall ground emissions, as well as increase airport
            surface safety benefits by reducing taxiway conflicts.

        2.  Collaborative Oceanic Trajectory Optimization: Trajectory
            collaboration and optimization during trans-Atlantic flight
            has the potential for major fuel efficiencies and
            significant aircraft emission reductions. The concept of
            trajectory optimization is a key enhancement of the US Next
            Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) and part of
            an extensive technology development program for oceanic
            airspace over the next decade. During the AIRE initiative,
            US and European ANSPs and industry partners will demonstrate
            collaborative trajectory optimization in the oceanic
            environment initially using a manual optimization process.
            Automated profile optimization tools will be included as
            these become available.

        3.  Oceanic Tailored Arrivals (OTA): The OTA is a comprehensive
            trajectory based arrival clearance to a coastal destination
            airport. The OTA is a low power, continuous descent approach
            designed to reduce fuel burn, noise and emissions. Ground
            based systems calculate the aircraft's four-dimensional (4D)
            arrival profile including flight path, vertical profile and
            speed/time optimized for arrival conditions. The arrival
            profile is data-linked to the aircraft, where it is
            auto-loaded into the aircraft Flight Management System. The
            profile is confirmed via voice clearance in the radar
            environment and executed by the onboard guidance system with
            little additional cockpit modification required. Early field
            trials indicate that tailored arrivals could save between
            400 and 800 pounds of fuel per flight.

        4.  AIRE will conduct a phased flight demonstration program to
            explore the potential environmental benefits of new aviation
            technologies and improved operational procedures. Near and
            longer term outcomes are anticipated which will lead to
            implementation of proven technologies and procedures and,
            subsequently, shorter average flight times, significant
            industry fuel savings, and commensurate engine emission
            reductions.

3.  **Pacific Partnership Opportunities**

    1.  In light of the successful AIRE partnership, the FAA is
        considering similar undertakings in the Pacific region. A
        partnership in the Pacific Region would offer a prime
        opportunity to demonstrate a variety of service enhancements and
        technologies leading to carbon emissions reductions. Many of
        these enhancements are currently being developed and implemented
        by the FAA and neighboring service providers, and could be
        readily leveraged in a Pacific emissions reduction program
        similar to AIRE.

    2.  In comparison to the complex and varied collection of service
        providers, airports and route structure in the trans-Atlantic
        and European environment, the Pacific Region offers a
        straightforward mix of city pairs and a relatively small number
        of major service providers, most of whom have recently
        implemented major advancements in air navigation service
        automation systems. These service providers, such as AirServices
        Australia, Airways New Zealand and the Japanese Civil Aviation
        Bureau (JCAB) manage airspace encompassing oceanic, offshore
        transition, en-route domestic, approach and terminal operations,
        and have each implemented FANS-1A data link systems for
        communications and surveillance, allowing for commonality of
        procedures, seamless transition of control authority and
        standardization of aircraft equipage requirements.

    3.  In order to realize the potential benefits from the availability
        of enhanced services in the Pacific, major regional carriers
        such as Air New Zealand, Japan Airlines, Qantas and United
        Airlines have invested heavily in data link technology and
        advanced navigation performance technology creating a large pool
        of viable air-carrier partners for demonstration activities.
        Additionally, AIRE partners Boeing and Airbus as well as data
        link service providers, ARINC and SITA have been extremely
        active in regional service improvement projects, and would serve
        as valuable industry allies in a Pacific emissions reduction
        partnership.

    4.  The Pacific Region's fleet and traffic structure, the developing
        service improvement activities and the demonstrated willingness
        of Pacific airline, industry and service providers to work
        together presents the FAA with a valuable opportunity to form
        partnership programs similar to the AIRE initiative to provide
        further international leadership in aviation emissions
        reductions.

4.  **Action by the meeting**

    1.  The meeting is asked to note the progress of regional
        partnerships on the environment such as AIRE, and developing
        activities in the South Pacific.

    2.  The meeting is also asked to consider action items to support
        reduction of greenhouse gas emissions to add to the IPACG work
        program.

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