The trials will run for three months, and if successful may see rollout to more countries and routes. Photo Credit: Adobe Stock/Konstantin Ivshin
Trials are now underway for user-preferred routing (UPR) on 38
different scheduled routes between cities in Australia/New Zealand and
Indonesia/Singapore.
Launched by national flag carriers Qantas, Air New Zealand, Garuda
and Singapore Airlines, these trials will last for three months, after
which the parties will review the results and potentially consider
operationalising the trial and expanding UPR to include more cities and
airlines.
Under UPR, pilots have the flexibility to choose the most efficient,
direct routes to their destinations without having to stick to
predefined highways in the sky – which will allow for better use of
airspace and help cut flight time and carbon emissions.
“As an industry, we need to develop and implement innovative
practices to ensure we have an efficient and sustainable aviation
sector,” said Rob Sharp, Airservices Australia interim CEO. “Working
with airlines to enable them to reduce emissions is central to our
environment and sustainability strategy, aligned to the International
Civil Aviation Organization’s Long-Term Aspirational Goal for the global
aviation sector to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.”
Xie Xingquan, the International Air Transport Association’s regional
vice president, North Asia and Asia Pacific (ad interim) agreed, saying:
“The incremental operational improvements for individual flights will
generate significant cumulative benefits considering the number of
flights and city pairs involved. The trial is a good starting point, and
we look forward to having it expand beyond the initial four countries
and airlines.”