Required Navigation Performance Preliminary Data Highlights Potential Emissions Reduction and Fuel Savings
DALLAS, March 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Southwest Airlines (NYSE: LUV) recently flew RNP (Required Navigation Performance) procedures roundtrip between Dallas Love Field and Houston Hobby - achieving a major milestone in the airline's quest to revolutionize the skies and become the first airline to fly RNP procedures at every airport it serves. The demo flight by Southwest is the result of two years of hard work and a partnership with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and industry partners. RNP is satellite-based navigation and is one of the cornerstones for the FAA's Next Generation Air Traffic Control system (NextGen), bringing together the accuracy of GPS (Global Positioning System), the capabilities of advanced aircraft avionics, and new flight procedures.
"RNP allows aircraft to fly more precise, direct, and accurate paths, reducing emissions and saving on fuel," said Southwest Airlines Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Mike Van de Ven. "This is a milestone in the six-year plan to implement RNP procedures across the Southwest System and assist the FAA with NextGen initiatives."
In support of the FAA's Roadmap for Performance-Based Navigation, Southwest is investing $175 million during this six-year project to implement RNP procedures, retrofit aircraft, and train its Pilots. The initial investment will provide long-term benefits to reduce industry air traffic congestion and increase aircraft efficiencies.
The recent roundtrip RNP demo flight between Dallas Love Field and Houston Hobby yielded the following preliminary data:
Estimated carbon reduction of 904 pounds of CO2 per roundtrip flight between Dallas Love Field and Houston Hobby.
Estimated carbon reduction in one year of flying RNP procedures between Dallas Love Field and Houston Hobby could equal a reduction of approximately 8.42 million pounds of CO2. This is equivalent to removing 699 passenger cars from the road for one year.*
Fuel savings of eight percent, which translates to approximately 43 gallons of fuel per roundtrip flight between Dallas Love Field and Houston Hobby.
Fuel savings in one year of flying RNP procedures between Dallas Love Field and Houston Hobby could equal approximately 400,000 gallons of fuel savings.
"The data collected is extremely promising for just one roundtrip flight, and we are excited to implement additional flights at airports across our system," said Jeff Martin, Senior Director of Flight Operations and Southwest's RNP Lead. "This has been a true collaborative effort between nearly every department at Southwest and our many industry partners. We look forward to briefing senior FAA leaders in April."
RNP is just one facet of Southwest Airlines' commitment to efficiency and environmental stewardship. In addition to RNP, Southwest completes each point on its "four-leaf clover" by implementing additional "green" initiatives--reducing fuel and providing enormous environmental savings by avoiding greenhouse gas emissions. Among them:
Efficient Flight: Southwest adjusted flight profile speeds in March 2008 in order to create additional efficiencies and to conserve fuel. From March 2008 through December 2008, the flight profile adjustments saved approximately 13.1 million gallons of fuel without affecting ontime performance, which equates to 125,348 metric tons of CO2.
Aircraft Specific Performance Monitoring (APM): By establishing a specific fuel burn factor for each aircraft through APM, Southwest was able to more accurately gauge fuel needs for each flight. The result of APM is a small but measurable reduction in takeoff weight, which saved 4.4 million gallons of fuel in 2008, which equals 42,102 metric tons of CO2.
Engine Washing: Using Pratt & Whitney's EcoPower(R) Engine Wash, Southwest washes eight of its Boeing 737-700 engines each night. This has increased engine efficiency, and, from April to December 2008, saved 1.6 million gallons of fuel and reduced carbon emission by 15,310 metric tons. To view a video of Southwest's engine washing, go to http://www.blogsouthwest.com/video/southwest-airlines-engine-washing.
Environmental Stewardship is a responsibility Southwest takes seriously, and efficient operations are the hallmark of our Company and the foundation of our environmental commitment. Over the decades, Southwest has been at the forefront of such efficiencies as paperless tickets, quick turnarounds, installation of winglets, and, more recently; the installation of fleet-wide advanced avionics. This focus on efficiency not only makes good business sense, it is the right thing to do. For more information on how Southwest Airlines cares for the environment, visit www.southwest.com/cares.
*Using Environmental Protection Agency's Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies
