The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) continued implementing new descent procedures for aircraft in 2021 meant to reduce the amount of fuel required for landing and decrease emissions contributing to climate change.
The 42 new Optimized Profile Descents (OPD), put in place last year, allow aircraft to travel downward in a continuous line at near idle to reach their destination, a Jan. 13 FAA press release said. The procedure is an alternative to the traditional stair-step approach, which requires aircraft to repeatedly descend and reengage engines to receive instruction from air traffic control.
“We're ‘sliding’ aircraft into airports with smooth arrival slopes instead of stair-stepping procedures,” FAA said in a Jan. 14 Tweet. “Optimized descents have fuel savings and environmental benefits.”
The FAA estimates that 2 million gallons of fuel will be saved and 40 million pounds of emissions will be reduced annually through the procedures, the release said.
“These new efficient descent procedures both save fuel and dramatically reduce emissions, moving us closer to our goal of net-zero aviation emissions by 2050,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in the release.
The FAA has been implementing OPD procedures since 2014, the release said, having been implemented at airports in Atlanta, Cleveland, Charlotte, Detroit, Denver, Northern California, Southern California, Houston and Washington, D.C airports.
“In 2021, the FAA implemented OPDs for Dallas-Ft. Worth International Airport, Ft. 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, and numerous mid-size airports,” the release said.
The FAA plans to continue rolling out OPD nationwide in 2022.
