There is a new way to land at Dallas/Fort Worth Airport.
The Federal Aviation Administration announced Wednesday that it has launched new air traffic routes into and out of North Texas airports that will reduce emissions and save jet fuel.
The 80 takeoff and landing procedures will save up to 4.1 million gallons of jet fuel each year and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 41,000 metric tons a year, FAA Administrator Michael Huerta said.
The “Next-Gen” procedures, as they are called, take advantage of GPS technology and flight software technology on modern aircraft.
“Planes are flying fewer miles, and they’re burning less fuel,” Huerta said. “Flights are arriving a little earlier than before, and departures are able to get on their way even faster.”
The FAA spent $5.5 million the past 30 months working on the procedures, which have redesigned the airspace over North Texas airports. The agency worked with air traffic controllers, American Airlines, Southwest Airlines, Dallas/Fort Worth Airport and pilots unions to create and test the new arrival and departure paths.
Previously, airplanes preparing to land at Dallas Love Field sometimes overlapped with the flight paths of airplanes arriving at DFW Airport. The new procedures resolve that.
“Every flight that comes into DFW as a result of the programs we’re talking about today will see a reduction of 300 to 500 pounds of fuel per flight, reducing our carbon emissions,” American Chief Operating Officer Robert Isom said.
Passengers will likely notice a difference when they descend at DFW. The new procedures allow pilots to almost idle the engines while the aircraft continuously descends from 37,000 feet as it approaches the runway. The previous method entailed descending to a certain altitude, leveling off and descending again.
The new procedures were put in place Sept. 18, and after 60 days, American has seen improved on-time arrivals and departures at DFW, its largest hub, Isom said.
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