Air NZ to fly Tailored Arrival demonstration in LA

Media release
9 March 2009

Air New Zealand to fly Tailored Arrival demonstration into Los Angeles

Air New Zealand will fly a demonstration Tailored Arrival into Los Angeles International Airport tomorrow morning as part of a trial to prove the viability of the procedure into one of the world’s busiest airports.

The trial into Los Angeles follows the success of a Tailored Arrivals initiative into San Francisco Airport, in which Air New Zealand has been participating since January 2008.

NZ2, operated by a Boeing 777-200ER aircraft, will complete the Tailored Arrival at 11am Tuesday NZT (3pm Monday PDT), air traffic and weather conditions permitting.

The aircraft will be captained by Captain Mark Shepherd, a Boeing 777-200ER Captain and Air New Zealand Air Traffic Management specialist, who is playing a key role in managing the project.

Tailored Arrival procedures allow aircraft to make full use of interlinked onboard and ground technology to descend to the airport, with minimal direct Air Traffic Control intervention. The procedure is approximately 30 miles shorter than the conventional arrival, allowing a more optimal descent.

Air New Zealand Chief Pilot Captain David Morgan said the airline stood to make significant fuel and emission savings from the potential introduction of Tailored Arrivals operations into Los Angeles.

Captain Morgan said, when fully implemented, the introduction of the Tailored Arrivals procedure at Los Angeles was expected to realise annualised savings for Air New Zealand of more than 600,000 litres of fuel and 1500 tonnes of CO2.

“Given we operate 747s and 777s on 14 flights per week into Los Angeles from New Zealand the potential fuel savings are substantial. The results we have already achieved at San Francisco demonstrate the very real difference that efficient, highly automated Air Traffic Control systems can make to airline operations.”

Air New Zealand was the first international carrier invited to join the San Francisco Oceanic Tailored Arrivals Trial, a joint venture between Boeing, NASA, the FAA and San Francisco Airport.

Captain Morgan said Air New Zealand’s participation on the Tailored Arrival initiatives are part of the airline’s commitment to reducing the amount of carbon emitted from its operations. He said tomorrow’s initiative was made possible by the close historical relationship between Air New Zealand, NASA, Boeing and the FAA.

ENDS

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