Airspace Article
"CIIFRA plays an important role in airspace optimisation in the region and contributes to reducing a significant amount of CO2 emissions by applying practical communications, collaboration and coordination strategies proven to deliver tangible benefits while creating more sustainable and efficient routes.”
Tim Arel • Chief Operating Officer, FAA's Air Traffic Organization and CANSO LAC3 chair
The Latin America and Caribbean region have also made significant strides in optimising flight paths.
Efforts in the region use the platform established by the CANSO ATFM Data Exchange Network for the Americas (CADENA) project. CADENA allows partners throughout the aviation value chain to share vital data and common situational awareness, enabling such concepts as air traffic flow management (ATFM).
One initiative is to allow airlines to fly selected User Preferred Routes (UPRs) and Strategic Direct Routes (SDRs), which are part of the CANSO-IATA-ICAO Free Route Airspace (CIIFRA) project.
Initially, trials were run for 90 days in the second half of 2021 and involved one aircraft from one airline. The headline figures show that operational savings for airlines amounted to some $2 million and more than 3 million kilogrammes of CO2 was averted. An optimised route between Atlanta and Lima, for example, saved the airline more than 500 flight minutes, equating to a 200,000kg reduction in CO2 and almost $100,000 in cost savings.
The success of the trials persuaded all parties to continue them with one route even making it to an aeronautical information circular (AIC), meaning all airlines can use the airway. The CIIFRA project also became part of the ICAO North America, Central America, and Caribbean (NACC) Airspace Optimisation task force.
In 2023, CIIFRA reported record savings, reaching over $6 million in airline operational costs and an enormous 10 million kg of CO2. That is the equivalent of greenhouse gas emissions from an average gasoline-powered vehicle being driven for nearly 27 million miles.
Other ANSPs in the Latin America and Caribbean region are now developing strategic direct routing (SDR) trials and aim to connect their SDRs and extend them across FIR boundaries. These SDR Trials are considered a transition to implementing full Free Route Airspace (FRA) in the LAC region.
"CIIFRA plays an important role in airspace optimisation in the region and contributes to reducing a significant amount of CO2 emissions by applying practical communications, collaboration and coordination strategies proven to deliver tangible benefits while creating more sustainable and efficient routes,” says Tim Arel, Chief Operating Officer of the FAA's Air Traffic Organization and CANSO LAC3 chair.
Robert Oberstar, Delta Airlines Supervisor – International Flight Control concurs. “CIIFRA has been an important part of Delta Air Lines’ route planning process,” he says. “Cost control has been important to airlines. The collaboration between CANSO, IATA, and ICAO has allowed Delta to reduce fuel burn, which in turn has reduced crew duty time and allowed more payload. The resulting CO2 emissions savings is a benefit for everyone. As more ANSPs and airlines get involved in these initiatives, the benefits will increase.”
FRA is also happening in other regions. In Europe, full FRA operations are expected by 2029. Already there is an increasing trend for ANSPs to conduct cross border operations and to lower the base level of FRA. There are also initiatives in Africa with ASECNA leading the way.
Crucially, all trials to date are posting extraordinary results. They demonstrate the aviation community’s commitment to a sustainable industry and are encouraging more airlines and ANSPs to take part in further flight optimisation trials. Sharing knowledge and developing best practices will accelerate implementation and the transformation of global airspace management.
Latin America benefits for CIIFRA
“TBO is a game-changing initiative and alongside sustainable aviation fuel, a major pathway for international aviation to achieve its net zero by 2050 long-term aspirational goal.”
Han Kok Juan
Director General, Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore, (CAAS)
In 2023, a series of demonstration flights showcased the benefits of TBO. There were flights from Seattle to Tokyo, Tokyo to Singapore, Singapore to Bangkok, and Bangkok to Seattle.
The flights demonstrated the validity of TBO and sharing information across multiple regions. Importantly, they also proved that enough global data standards are in place to make TBO a reality and that there are efficiency benefits even if every FIR involved in a flightpath doesn’t participate in a TBO flight.
Participating ANSPs (AEROTHAI, CAAS, FAA and JCAB) in the demonstration flights shared such data as weather, air traffic volumes, and airspace closures to help devise the most efficient courses. It is estimated that this helped reduce additional fuel burn and emissions by up to 10%.
“TBO is a game-changing initiative and alongside sustainable aviation fuel, a major pathway for international aviation to achieve its net zero by 2050 long-term aspirational goal,” said Han Kok Juan, Director General of the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore, (CAAS).
At a regional level, the Asia and Pacific Air Navigation Service Provider Committee, which is collaborating with CANSO, is promoting TBO across the region.
The committee – which comprises 43 regional ANSPs – has agreed to “accelerate the development and implementation of seamless air traffic management” as one of its workstreams. Members will endeavour to share real-time flight, aeronautical and meteorological data to smooth flight flows.
Demonstration flights
Trajectory-based operations (TBO) hold the promise not only of network efficiency but also enhanced sustainability.
Basically, TBO moves air traffic management from the tactical to strategic level. International flights are guided through the skies with national air navigation service providers (ANSPs) acting independently to manage traffic as they enter their flight information region (FIR).
Downstream ANSPs have limited information on the live flight trajectory and flight intent, so each ANSP must tactically manage air traffic as flights enter its FIR. Lack of real time information exchanges between the actors managing the flight result in the loss of opportunity to optimise the flight’s trajectory across the end-to-end journey. As a result, fuel burn – and the associated carbon emissions – is higher than necessary.
TBO facilitates early decisions to optimise an aircraft’s trajectory and fuel burn. It leverages standardised data exchange between systems so that all relevant parties always have common and updated information about the flight. Technology has advanced sufficiently to ensure such data exchanges are feasible.
It is important to note, however, that TBO is a concept rather than a particular technology and so ANSPs can adapt it to suit their particular needs.
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In 2023, a series of demonstration flights showcased the benefits of TBO. There were flights from Seattle to Tokyo, Tokyo to Singapore, Singapore to Bangkok, and Bangkok to Seattle.
The flights demonstrated the validity of TBO and sharing information across multiple regions. Importantly, they also proved that enough global data standards are in place to make TBO a reality and that there are efficiency benefits even if every FIR involved in a flightpath doesn’t participate in a TBO flight.
Participating ANSPs (AEROTHAI, CAAS, FAA and JCAB) in the demonstration flights shared such data as weather, air traffic volumes, and airspace closures to help devise the most efficient courses. It is estimated that this helped reduce additional fuel burn and emissions by up to 10%.
“TBO is a game-changing initiative and alongside sustainable aviation fuel, a major pathway for international aviation to achieve its net zero by 2050 long-term aspirational goal,” said Han Kok Juan, Director General of the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore, (CAAS).
At a regional level, the Asia and Pacific Air Navigation Service Provider Committee, which is collaborating with CANSO, is promoting TBO across the region.
The committee – which comprises 43 regional ANSPs – has agreed to “accelerate the development and implementation of seamless air traffic management” as one of its workstreams. Members will endeavour to share real-time flight, aeronautical and meteorological data to smooth flight flows.
Demonstration flights
The Latin America and Caribbean region have also made significant strides in optimising flight paths.
Efforts in the region use the platform established by the CANSO ATFM Data Exchange Network for the Americas (CADENA) project. CADENA allows partners throughout the aviation value chain to share vital data and common situational awareness, enabling such concepts as air traffic flow management (ATFM).
One initiative is to allow airlines to fly selected User Preferred Routes (UPRs) and Strategic Direct Routes (SDRs), which are part of the CANSO-IATA-ICAO Free Route Airspace (CIIFRA) project.
Initially, trials were run for 90 days in the second half of 2021 and involved one aircraft from one airline. The headline figures show that operational savings for airlines amounted to some $2 million and more than 3 million kilogrammes of CO2 was averted. An optimised route between Atlanta and Lima, for example, saved the airline more than 500 flight minutes, equating to a 200,000kg reduction in CO2 and almost $100,000 in cost savings.
The success of the trials persuaded all parties to continue them with one route even making it to an aeronautical information circular (AIC), meaning all airlines can use the airway. The CIIFRA project also became part of the ICAO North America, Central America, and Caribbean (NACC) Airspace Optimisation task force.
In 2023, CIIFRA reported record savings, reaching over $6 million in airline operational costs and an enormous 10 million kg of CO2. That is the equivalent of greenhouse gas emissions from an average gasoline-powered vehicle being driven for nearly 27 million miles.
Other ANSPs in the Latin America and Caribbean region are now developing strategic direct routing (SDR) trials and aim to connect their SDRs and extend them across FIR boundaries. These SDR Trials are considered a transition to implementing full Free Route Airspace (FRA) in the LAC region.
"CIIFRA plays an important role in airspace optimisation in the region and contributes to reducing a significant amount of CO2 emissions by applying practical communications, collaboration and coordination strategies proven to deliver tangible benefits while creating more sustainable and efficient routes,” says Tim Arel, Chief Operating Officer of the FAA's Air Traffic Organization and CANSO LAC3 chair.
Robert Oberstar, Delta Airlines Supervisor – International Flight Control concurs. “CIIFRA has been an important part of Delta Air Lines’ route planning process,” he says. “Cost control has been important to airlines. The collaboration between CANSO, IATA, and ICAO has allowed Delta to reduce fuel burn, which in turn has reduced crew duty time and allowed more payload. The resulting CO2 emissions savings is a benefit for everyone. As more ANSPs and airlines get involved in these initiatives, the benefits will increase.”
FRA is also happening in other regions. In Europe, full FRA operations are expected by 2029. Already there is an increasing trend for ANSPs to conduct cross border operations and to lower the base level of FRA. There are also initiatives in Africa with ASECNA leading the way.
Crucially, all trials to date are posting extraordinary results. They demonstrate the aviation community’s commitment to a sustainable industry and are encouraging more airlines and ANSPs to take part in further flight optimisation trials. Sharing knowledge and developing best practices will accelerate implementation and the transformation of global airspace management.
Latin America benefits for CIIFRA
Basically, TBO moves air traffic management from the tactical to strategic level. International flights are guided through the skies with national air navigation service providers (ANSPs) acting independently to manage traffic as they enter their flight information region (FIR).
Downstream ANSPs have limited information on the live flight trajectory and flight intent, so each ANSP must tactically manage air traffic as flights enter its FIR. Lack of real time information exchanges between the actors managing the flight result in the loss of opportunity to optimise the flight’s trajectory across the end-to-end journey. As a result, fuel burn – and the associated carbon emissions – is higher than necessary.
TBO facilitates early decisions to optimise an aircraft’s trajectory and fuel burn. It leverages standardised data exchange between systems so that all relevant parties always have common and updated information about the flight. Technology has advanced sufficiently to ensure such data exchanges are feasible.
It is important to note, however, that TBO is a concept rather than a particular technology and so ANSPs can adapt it to suit their particular needs.
Trajectory-based operations (TBO) hold the promise not only of network efficiency but also enhanced sustainability.
Airspace Article