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In the latest in a series of demonstration flights to optimise flight efficiency and minimise environmental impact, Airservices has collaborated with Cathay Pacific under the Asia and Pacific Initiative to Reduce Emissions (ASPIRE) program to conduct four flights across the globe, two of those through Australian airspace on the one day.
The Cathay Pacific flights involved one from Hong Kong to Melbourne and one to Sydney. It will be the first time two ASPIRE demonstration flights have been undertaken in Australia at the one time. Simultaneously, Cathay Pacific will undertake two ASPIRE demonstration flights to Anchorage and San Francisco.
ASPIRE is a joint venture between air navigations service providers such as Airservices, airlines and airports across Asia and the Pacific to promote best practice in improved air traffic management.
Airservices Executive General Manager Air Traffic Control, Greg Hood said: “ASPIRE demonstrates that when several efficient air traffic procedures are integrated and applied to flights, we see the potential for reductions in delays, fuel usage and emissions.
“These procedures will become a new standard for air traffic services,” Hood added.
Cathay Pacific’s chief operating officer Ivan Chu said the flights would “employ a series of gate-to-gate efficiency measures while operating within the existing constraints of the air traffic control systems to highlight the potential for real reduction in fuel burn and CO2 emissions on a daily basis.”
