Reducing transatlantic flight emissions by fuel-optimised routing

Abstract After decades of limited situational awareness for aircraft flying in the mid-North Atlantic, full satellite coverage will soon be available. This opens up possibility altering flight routes to exploit wind field fully. By considering flights between New York and London, from 1 December, 2019 29 February, 2020, it is shown how changes current practice could significantly reduce fuel use and, hence, greenhouse gas emissions. When airspeed altitude are constant, flow rate per unit time constant route with minimum journey uses least fuel. Optimal control theory used find these through fields a global atmospheric re-analysis dataset. The total burn emissions (including CO 2 ) proportional ‘air distance’ (the product time). Minimum-time compared actual flown fields. Results show that tracks have air distances typically several hundred kilometres longer than fuel-optimised routes. Potential distance savings range 0.7% 7.8% when west 16.4% east, depending on which daily used. Thus, substantial reductions consumption possible short term. contrast incremental improvements fuel-efficiency technological advances, high cost, risk take many years implement.