Stockholm-Arlanda gets green light for green approaches after successful trials
(photo: Tommy Säfström, SAS Group)
Tue 13 May 2008 – Following successful trialling of continuous descent approaches at Stockholm-Arlanda Airport, approval has been given for all airlines to use the procedure when landing at the airport. The number of ‘green approaches’ is expected to increase from 10 to 30 per day, although they will be restricted to off-peak traffic for the time being.
Anders Stålhammer, Head of Communications at the Air Navigation Services (ANS) Division of LFV, the state enterprise that operates Stockholm-Arlanda and 15 other Swedish airports, said he expected Arlanda to achieve the largest number of green approaches in Europe by 2012 “at the latest”. They will also be introduced at Gothenburg, Umeå and Malmö airports within the next three years.
The Green Flights project is a collaborative effort involving airlines, airports, the ANS Division and industrial companies, including Airbus. During a development period that began in March 2006, Scandinavian Airlines, Falcon Air and Blue 1 have participated in the testing of off-peak green approaches. Results have shown reductions in fuel consumption, CO2 and nitrogen oxide emissions, and noise over Stockholm-Arlanda’s neighbouring municipalities. An Airbus A330, for example, has saved about 150kg of fuel and 470kg of CO2 emissions during testing a green approach.
The approaches have been designed to avoid centres of population to the “greatest possible extent”, in which an aircraft is kept at an altitude of at least 3,000 metres before carrying out the continuous descent approach. The approach takes place automatically, with the help of the aircraft’s on-board computer system.
“These measures are part of LFV’s long-term efforts to reduce the environmental impact of aviation,” said Stålhammer. “We will be continuously introducing large and small measures that together will reduce emissions and noise. Our target is that by 2012, eight out of ten aircraft approaches to Stockholm-Arlanda can be classified as green.”
