Nats, a global leader in air traffic management, has joined forces with Royal Jet, a major private jet operator in the Middle East, to assist the airline improve the environmental performance of its flights in UK airspace.

The partnership will see the two parties work together to improve the airline’s flight efficiency as well as reduce fuel burn and CO2 emissions. Nats will provide Royal Jet with actual data to monitor its flight profiles. The two parties will plan workshops to enhance flight crew awareness and flight efficiency.

Earlier this year, Nats launched a new way to measure the environmental performance of airspace and air travel providing detailed performance data.

Known as the three dimensional inefficiency score (3Di), it is the first meaningful airspace flight efficiency metric. This system is already in use, measuring the efficiency of every flight in the UK, and it is currently being rolled out to other international markets.

Royal Jet will use the 3Di measurement system to quantify the environmental impact of all its flights and track improvements.

John Swift, director Middle East, Nats said: “We look forward to working with the Royal Jet team on achieving its environmental goals which are closely aligned with our own. Royal Jet has become one of the first carriers in the Middle East to make this commitment to improving efficiency, but we expect many more to follow as other aviation companies see the benefits they stand to gain.”

Shane O’Hare, president and CEO of Royal Jet, said: “We are excited about the level of efficiency we can achieve with the support of Nats. By being able to benchmark our performance with detailed data, we will be able to set meaningful goals and measure success.”

“Royal Jet strives to achieve excellence in every aspect of our operations, and Nats is the only partner who will assist us to extend this to our environmental impact.”

The 3Di was produced following several years of developmental work by Nats in consultation with airline customers and the UK’s specialist aviation regulator, the CAA.

By changing the design and operation of airspace and raising awareness with airlines of how to achieve optimum flight efficiency, the aviation industry can make significant improvements in environmental performance, a statement said.

Nats is the first and the only air traffic management company to monitor and measure the fuel burn of all its managed flights, it added. – TradeArabia News Service