LONDON – After somewhat successfully weathering the pandemic and draconian closures of Asian airspaces, Air Asia is now committed to going green, by reducing 221 tonnes of CO2 emissions.
The ambitious plan to reduce 221 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions is driven by a strong commitment to sustainability and becoming more socially responsible, in the discipline of the environment.
The Malaysian-based low-cost carrier will be installing an innovative and high-tech aircraft software modification called the Descent Profile Optimiser (DPO) on its workhorse, the Airbus A320ceo from June onwards, on par with the World Environment Day celebration.
Doing so will drastically reduce carbon dioxide emissions by assisting with fuel-saving measures.
Moreover, the upgrade to the aircraft’s onboard Flight Management System (FMS) performance will allow the aircraft to select the best descent phase of the flight which will optimise fuel conservation efforts, and identify inefficiency during the phases of flight.
Bo Lingam, Group CEO of AirAsia Aviation Group Limited (AAAGL) said: “As the travel industry begins to recover and we expect to get back to pre-pandemic levels by the end of this year, it is important that we review our climate strategy and put in place new mechanisms and processes that will help to minimise the environmental impact of our flight operations.”
“Installing the new flight operations optimisation solution for our current A320ceo aircraft allows us to reduce our carbon footprint for the short and medium-term as we continue to gradually upgrade our fleet to a higher capacity and more fuel-efficient A321neo in the longer term,” he stated.
“Given the reality of climate change and the airline industry’s contribution to emissions, reducing our carbon footprint is currently one of our top sustainability priorities and we look forward to further reducing an additional 221 tonnes of CO₂ emissions per aircraft each year with the DPO system we are implementing.”
“We remain committed to ensuring not only that we build a sustainable airline but also align with the aviation industry’s sustainability goal to reach net-zero by 2050.”
The Descent Profile Optimiser (DPO) is poised to reduce fuel consumption and improve fuel efficiency by up to 0.75%, which significantly equals saving 101 kgs of CO2 emissions per flight. On a larger scale, this fuel-saving initiative will help Air Asia to shave off 221 tonnes of CO2 emitted into the atmosphere annually.
To give an idea of how significant a reduction this represents – if 17 A320s have been upgraded with the DPO and FMS, this would save 3,764 tonnes of CO₂ per year or the equivalent of 62,700 urban trees planted based on the US EPA’s standards.
The low-cost carrier has implemented several targets to reduce fuel burn and carbon emissions. These include One Engine Taxi, Idle Reverse Landing and the Required Navigation Performance-Authorisation Required (RNP-AR).
Through these simple measures, the airline avoided emitting 11,175 tonnes of carbon dioxide, equivalent to planting 186,250 urban trees.
