Last year, the Federal Aviation Administration implemented optimized profile descents at 42 airports, with the goal of saving millions of gallons of fuel and lowering CO2 and other pollutants. Another advantage is that there is less noise.
Let’s get through the technical jargon. Optimized Profile Descents (OPD) are innovative flight procedures that allow planes to descend from cruising altitude to the runway in a smooth, continuous slope while keeping the engines at near idle. In other words, instead of the previously used fuel-consuming stair-step procedure, pilots traveling into these 42 airports will be able to glide down safely.
A standard stair-step technique needs aircraft to continuously level off and power up the engines, which consumes more fuel and necessitates air traffic controllers to issue directions at each step.
The improved descending techniques give a more comfortable approach for passengers while using less fuel. It also enables an airplane to remain at higher altitudes for extended periods of time. When the plane comes closer to the ground, the engine revs less and makes less noise (approximately 3 to 6.5 dB).
The FAA estimates that for each group of descents used at an airport, an average of 2 million gallons of fuel is saved and 40 million pounds of pollutants are decreased yearly. That is the same as removing the fuel and CO2 emissions from 1,300 Boeing 737 flights from Atlanta to Dallas.
The FAA implemented efficient descent procedures for Dallas-Ft. Worth International Airport, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas, Lakehurst Maxfield Field in New Jersey, Love Field in Dallas, Miami International Airport, North Las Vegas Airport, Orlando International Airport, Port Columbus International Airport, Portland International Jetport, Tampa International Airport, and a number of mid-size airports in 2021.
The FAA has also implemented OPD procedures for airports in Atlanta, Charlotte, Cleveland, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Northern California, Southern California, and Washington, D.C. since 2014. In 2022, more OPD procedures will be added.
The FAA has developed a variety of novel flight procedures that use less fuel and produce less noise by increasing route precision.
The United States announced its first-ever comprehensive Aviation Climate Action Plan in November, with the goal of reaching net-zero emissions by 2050. The FAA announced more than $100 million in matching funds earlier in 2021 to boost aircraft economy, reduce noise and pollution, and develop and apply new software to cut taxi delays. The White House recently unveiled the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Grand Challenge, a government-wide project aimed at accelerating the production of at least three billion gallons of aviation fuel per year by 2030.
