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Best Practises for Los Angeles - Singapore ASPIRE Daily Route

 

Monthly Reporting

4 star daily pair

Background
The Los Angeles (LAX) - Singapore (SIN) direct flight transits through Oakland, Manila and Singapore FIRs where multiple Air Traffic Management best practices are currently available to be utilised for the flight to minimise fuel burn and reduce emissions.

User-Preferred Routes (UPRs)
UPRs between the United States and South Pacific airports have been operational on a daily basis since December, 2000.  Information for the filing of a UPR flight plan between Los Angeles and Singapore is published in regional NOTAMs.  Although detailed analysis has not been conducted, the FAA estimates savings of  9.61 Million kg fuel, and 30.3 Million kg CO2 per year from UPR's between the US and South Pacific airports.

Dynamic Airborne Reroute Procedure (DARP)
The DARP procedure is available on request in the Oakland Oceanic FIR. DARP procedures in the South Pacific are specified in the Global Operational Data Link Document (GOLD).  

30/30 Reduced Oceanic Separation
30nm lateral and 30nm longitudinal separation standards (30/30) are available for all RNP-4 FANS DataLink flights between Los Angeles and Singapore.  The 30/30 standard is the smallest approved separation standard for oceanic/remote airspace. The standard is administered by ATC as needed to maintain separation assurance. In the Oakland FIR (KZOA), 30/30 was implemented on an operational trial basis December 2005 in segments of KZOA. The 30/30 trials expanded to the entire Oakland Oceanic FIR in March 2007.

Time-Based Arrivals Management
Arrival Flow Management was implemented into Changi Airport in June 2006 and provides airlines with timing at arrival points that are used by controllers to meter and sequence aircraft.  If extensive delay is required, aircraft are offered the option to either hold en-route at high levels or reduce speed to meet the arrival points.

Arrivals Optimization
Optimum Profile Descent (OPD) operational trials were carried out with Singapore Airlines in 2009 and 2010 to assess the feasibility of implementing the OPD procedures for arrivals into Changi Airport.  The ASPIRE "Green Flight" from LAX-NRT-SIN successfully carried out the OPD when landing in Changi Airport on 1 February 2010.  The OPD procedure is available to all Singapore Airlines flights flying this city pair.

ASPIRE Daily

Daily Routes

Background

The ASPIRE (Asia Pacific Initiative to Reduce Emissions) partnership was formed in 2008; a partnership between Airways New Zealand, the Federal Aviation Administration and Airservices Australia. Membership has since extended to include CAAS (Singapore) and JCAB (Japan). Its pre-eminence in collaborative air traffic management and environmental stewardship has been globally acknowledged.

Following a series of demonstration flights in 2008 - linking NZ, Australia and the US – extensive data gathering and performance modelling has occurred to allow the success of these 'one-off' test flights to be repeated on a daily basis for aircraft flying across Asia and the Pacific.

Los Angeles - Singapore ASPIRE Daily Route Sydney - Los Angeles ASPIRE Daily Route Auckland - San Francisco ASPIRE Daily Route Sydney - San Francisco ASPIRE Daily Route Melbourne - Singapore ASPIRE Daily Route Singapore - Melbourne ASPIRE Daily Route Los Angeles - Melbourne ASPIRE Daily Route Melbourne - Los Angeles ASPIRE Daily Route Sydney - Singapore ASPIRE Daily Route Singapore - Sydney ASPIRE Daily Route

Figure: Best practices for ASPIRE Daily routes

Daily City Pairs

Following a series of ASPIRE demonstration flights in 2008 - linking NZ, Australia and the US – extensive data gathering and performance modelling has occurred to allow the success of these 'one-off' test flights to be repeated on a daily basis for aircraft flying across Asia and the Pacific.

The first ASPIRE Daily City Pair was launched on February 21, 2011 between Auckland and San Francisco. Additional routes will come on line regularly, with several routes across the Eastern and Western part of the Asia Pacific region already active or planned.

What are ASPIRE Daily City Pairs?

ASPIRE Daily City Pair flights operate under optimal flight plan conditions, utilising:

ASPIRE Daily City Pairs are certified with a star rating system based on the number of best-practice procedures available – e.g. using three best practice options will gain a three star rating; with a current maximum of five. Airlines track and report usage of their nominated ASPIRE Daily best practices through the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

Available Best Practices

Star Rating

3

3

3 star rating

4 - 6

4

4 star rating

7

5

5 star rating

Table: Best practice Daily City Pair star ratings

IATA has endorsed the ASPIRE Daily best practices, city pair nominations and star ratings - providing critical value for ANSPs and the airline industry.

ASPIRE Daily City Pairs ultimately deliver 'gate to gate' environmental best practice to airlines operating throughout the Asia-Pacific region. They are also an endorsement for travellers and communities that the industry is collectively committed to implementing world's best practice in air traffic management and environmental stewardship.

"Of critical importance now is to get the attention of airline passengers. They see governments imposing environmental taxes on long-haul flight, yet what they'd prefer to be seeing is an industry taking active steps to reduce its environmental impact. That's ASPIRE: a network of partners across the world who are collectively committed to implementing world's best practice in air traffic management and environmental stewardship – every single day."
Doug Scott, Chairman of the ASPIRE Partnership

ASPIRE Daily is about route utilisation more than it is about fuel and emissions savings. Both will result – but our focus is on how much can be saved by airlines globally when they utilise concepts and technologies in flight efficiency in all phases of commercial flight.

The aviation sector has committed to taking a 'whole-of-industry' approach, through ICAO, to reduce emissions by 2% per annum until 2050. Whilst technology will certainly aid this goal, ANSPs must continue to be proactive to ensure infrastructure, technology and ATM procedures complement airborne capability.

The aviation industry has gone beyond Government proposals to introduce 'travel taxes' taking proactive measures to reduce the environmental footprint of flight. ASPIRE Daily is a working example of what can be achieved through intercontinental, inter-agency, airline and ANSP cooperation. Built on solid metrics, ASPIRE Daily is the first in a series of future improvements that will deliver significant environmental outcomes in one of the world's fastest growing aviation markets.