As part of Hawaiian Airlines´ pledge to lessen its environmental impact, on Earth Day this Friday, April 22, the carrier will operate a demonstration flight between Auckland (AKL) and Honolulu (HNL) International Airports to showcase seven best practices in operational performance that greatly reduce fuel burn and carbon emissions, the company said.
These seven environmental markers have been outlined by the Asia and Pacific Initiative to Reduce Emissions (ASPIRE), a group of worldwide aviation leaders dedicated to advancing environmental stewardship in the industry that certified Hawaiian´s application for this ASPIRE Daily City Pair route.
In 2008, Airservices Australia, Airways New Zealand and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA_ joined forces to create ASPIRE. The joint venture is designed to lessen the environmental impact of aviation across Asia and the South Pacific. To qualify as an ASPIRE-Daily route, aircraft must be equipped with advanced avionics, including satellite-based Required Navigation Performance avionics and the Future Air Navigation System.
Hawaiian will use advanced air traffic management procedures from gate to gate and collaborate with air navigation service providers (ANSPs), including Airways New Zealand and the FAA, to demonstrate all seven of ASPIRE´s best practices, including: User Preferred Routes; Dynamic Airborne Reroute Procedures; 30/30 Reduced Oceanic Separation; Time-based Arrivals Management; Arrivals Optimization; Departures Optimization; and Surface Movement Optimization.
The ASPIRE HA Flight 446 will be an Airbus A330 aircraft piloted by Captain Brian Beres and First Officers Mark Langton and Eric Bethke. Dispatcher Kent Sharrar will plan the flight, scheduled to depart Auckland International Airport (AKL) at 12:15 a.m. and arrive at Honolulu International Airport (HNL) at 11:00 a.m. HST.
By implementing these ASPIRE procedures on the AKL-HNL route alone, Hawaiian will use one percent less fuel (approximately 1,000 pounds) per flight, which equates to 230 metric tons fewer carbon emissions annually. According to equivalencies provided by the EPA, this is comparable to taking 48 cars off the road. In addition, Hawaiian´s fuel-efficient fleet of Airbus A330s are equipped with Trent 700 Rolls-Royce engines, netting 700 fewer tons of carbon emissions per aircraft per year.
Hawaiian® has led all US carriers in on-time performance for each of the past 12 years (2004-2015) as reported by the US Department of Transportation.
Now in its 87th year of continuous service, Hawaiian is Hawai´i´s biggest and longest-serving airline, as well as the largest provider of passenger air service from its primary visitor markets on the US Mainland.
Hawaiian Airlines, Inc. is a subsidiary of Hawaiian Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: HA).
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