Etihad performs a perfect flight

It is easy to imagine a perfect flight: watching our favourite film on the entertainment system, having an empty seat next to us so we can stretch out and enjoying the view from the window as we land.

For airlines, a perfect flight is very different, it involves maximising efficiency to save time and fuel and, in doing so, cutting the carbon footprint.

On May 24, Etihad Airways operated just such a perfect flight, a special Boeing 787 Dreamliner service from the carrier’s Abu Dhabi base to Washington DC.

By altering ascent and descent, perfecting the route, optimising ground handling and other measures, the 13-and-a-half-hour flight saved 4,100 litres of fuel and 10.7 tonnes of carbon emissions. Achieving this required collaboration with 30 services, from ground handling to air navigation.

To optimise altitudes and cruising speeds, liaison with air traffic started four weeks before the flight, taking into account the many other aircraft on the same route at the same time.

Winds were analysed two weeks ahead and data from previous flights was used in models to determine what the ideal flight would be like. Air traffic control provided shortcuts, optimum altitude and speed.

Christian Albrecht, Etihad vice president operations logistics, said the airline aimed for an unrestricted climb so it could reach the ideal flight altitude in the shortest time. The descent was also perfected.

“The descent was delayed for approximately seven minutes compared with a normal flight, which resulted in a direct descent – continuous descent – with no level-off, and engines in idle power at their lowest fuel use. A similar ascent and descent approach could save up to 700 litres of fuel,” he said.

The various optimisation measures, including minimising on-ground delays, added up to a fuel saving of about 5 per cent, significant on a long-haul route where typically about 100,000 litres are planned for, in addition to the mandatory reserve fuel. Such savings are significant, as fuel can constitute 30 to 40 per cent of operating costs.

In aiming for a perfect flight, Etihad is tapping into a burgeoning global area of research on flight optimisation that follows decades of effort by the industry. It is unsurprising interest is so high.

“Considering the large number of flights taking off every day from every corner of the world, even modest efficiency gains can be translated into huge savings for the industry as well as the travelling public,” said Dr Yi Gao, a lecturer at the department of aviation at the Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne, Australia.

Technology is playing a major part in reducing fuel use, principally through more efficient aircraft. On Etihad’s perfect flight, the 787’s streamlined design, lightweight construction and modern, efficient engines can cut the fuel bill by a fifth.

Dr Gao noted that the other latest aircraft designs – among them Boeing’s 737 Max and 777X, and Airbus’s A320neo and A350 – offered improved winglet, wing and fuselage designs and have more efficient engines. Composite material, as strong as a metal frame but lighter, has been increasingly used.

Aside from innovation in hardware, a wealth of logistical factors are being looked at, including delaying departing aircraft to reduce the time they are in limbo in destination airspace.

The continuous descent used in the “perfect flight” contrasts with common practice. Air traffic control often directs aircraft to descend in stages, said Dr Gao. There is also room for improvement in the way aircraft taxi to the runway.

“A flight will not necessarily taxi the shortest possible route due to the movement of other flights at the same airport. Especially when the airport is busy, conflict avoidance takes a higher priority over efficiency,” he said.

Fortunately, this can be improved with computer-assisted instructions, as optimisation packages running on computers can calculate the ideal route, Dr Gao said.

Similar initiatives can help with flight and route planning, so as software improves, so will flight efficiency. Aircraft can also taxi with one engine idling, cutting fuel use. Better weather forecasting would also allow airlines to choose more efficient routes, in collaboration with air traffic control.

Aircraft manufacturers are researching many of these initiatives, such as Airbus with its Smarter Skies programme, which predicts that in the future aircraft could “self-organise” to choose the most efficient route. It even suggests that on popular routes, aircraft could fly in bird-like formation, cutting drag.

Dr Riko Merkert, senior lecturer in aviation management at the University of Sydney Business School’s institute of transport and logistics studies, said a “big game changer” in terms of improving flight efficiency would be optimising air traffic control.

In Europe, services are still too fragmented, he said, and in China there are too many detours because of restricted military airspace, while other parts of the world also leave room for improvement.

"It leaves huge potential for more direct and efficient flying and, hence, less fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions," said Dr Merkert, a co-editor of the Journal of Air Transport Management.

Other key issues he highlighted included using alternative, more sustainable fuels. As recently reported, this is a priority for Etihad through its BIOjet Abu Dhabi initiative, which has been exploring the development of a biofuel supply chain. Some experts cautioned, however, that these may have limited scope.

“Alternative fuels do offer some relief but they cannot be produced at a scale to meet future demand and they will be costly,” said Callum Thomas, a professor of sustainable aviation at the Centre for Aviation, Transport and the Environment at Manchester Metropolitan University, in the UK.

However, he said that while there are “considerable opportunities” for further improvements on operational efficiency, these are unlikely to be sufficient to counter the environmental effects of the aviation sector’s continued expansion.

Mr Albrecht, at Etihad, said that improving efficiency is not just about the introduction of more sophisticated technology but also using current technology better. The technology to achieve perfect flights exists, he said, but “it is not utilised globally worldwide in a fair and equal manner”.

Better integration of systems and improved simulation methods should, he predicted, help airlines achieve the fastest route with minimum fuel burn and carbon emissions.

“We believe that the future of flying will improve with the stronger integration of aircraft and ground systems and the ability to optimise millions of flight parameters in real time and their influence on the efficiency of a flight,” said Mr Albrecht.

So, in future, the perfect flight could become the norm rather than just a special event.

newsdesk@thenational.ae

Gorillaz
The Now Now

$1,000 award for 1,000 days on madrasa portal

Daily cash awards of $1,000 dollars will sweeten the Madrasa e-learning project by tempting more pupils to an education portal to deepen their understanding of math and sciences.

School children are required to watch an educational video each day and answer a question related to it. They then enter into a raffle draw for the $1,000 prize.

“We are targeting everyone who wants to learn. This will be $1,000 for 1,000 days so there will be a winner every day for 1,000 days,” said Sara Al Nuaimi, project manager of the Madrasa e-learning platform that was launched on Tuesday by the Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, to reach Arab pupils from kindergarten to grade 12 with educational videos.

“The objective of the Madrasa is to become the number one reference for all Arab students in the world. The 5,000 videos we have online is just the beginning, we have big ambitions. Today in the Arab world there are 50 million students. We want to reach everyone who is willing to learn.”

Election pledges on migration

CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"

SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"

The specs

Engine: 2-litre 4-cylinder and 3.6-litre 6-cylinder

Power: 220 and 280 horsepower

Torque: 350 and 360Nm

Transmission: eight-speed automatic

Price: from Dh136,521 VAT and Dh166,464 VAT

On sale: now

NO OTHER LAND

Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal

Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham

Rating: 3.5/5

About RuPay

A homegrown card payment scheme launched by the National Payments Corporation of India and backed by the Reserve Bank of India, the country’s central bank

RuPay process payments between banks and merchants for purchases made with credit or debit cards

It has grown rapidly in India and competes with global payment network firms like MasterCard and Visa.

In India, it can be used at ATMs, for online payments and variations of the card can be used to pay for bus, metro charges, road toll payments

The name blends two words rupee and payment

Some advantages of the network include lower processing fees and transaction costs

DUBAI%20BLING%3A%20EPISODE%201

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if you go

The flights

Emirates offer flights to Buenos Aires from Dubai, via Rio De Janeiro from around Dh6,300. emirates.com

Seeing the games

Tangol sell experiences across South America and generally have good access to tickets for most of the big teams in Buenos Aires: Boca Juniors, River Plate, and Independiente. Prices from Dh550 and include pick up and drop off from your hotel in the city. tangol.com

Staying there

Tangol will pick up tourists from any hotel in Buenos Aires, but after the intensity of the game, the Faena makes for tranquil, upmarket accommodation. Doubles from Dh1,110. faena.com

The specs

Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel

Power: 579hp

Torque: 859Nm

Transmission: Single-speed automatic

Price: From Dh825,900

On sale: Now

Milestones on the road to union

1970

October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.

December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.

1971

March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.

July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.

July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.

August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.

August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.

September 3: Qatar becomes independent.

November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.

November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.

November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.

November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties

December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.

December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.

December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.

In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe

Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010

Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille

Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm

Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year

Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”

Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners

TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013

A MINECRAFT MOVIE

Director: Jared Hess

Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa

Rating: 3/5

The specs

Engine: 1.5-litre turbo

Power: 181hp

Torque: 230Nm

Transmission: 6-speed automatic

Starting price: Dh79,000

On sale: Now

The biog

DOB: 25/12/92
Marital status: Single
Education: Post-graduate diploma in UAE Diplomacy and External Affairs at the Emirates Diplomatic Academy in Abu Dhabi
Hobbies: I love fencing, I used to fence at the MK Fencing Academy but I want to start again. I also love reading and writing
Lifelong goal: My dream is to be a state minister

SPECS

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Teri%20Baaton%20Mein%20Aisa%20Uljha%20Jiya

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Key facilities

Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
Premier League-standard football pitch
400m Olympic running track
NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
600-seat auditorium
Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
Specialist robotics and science laboratories
AR and VR-enabled learning centres
Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills

The specs: 2018 Volkswagen Teramont

Price, base / as tested Dh137,000 / Dh189,950

Engine 3.6-litre V6

Gearbox Eight-speed automatic

Power 280hp @ 6,200rpm

Torque 360Nm @ 2,750rpm

Fuel economy, combined 11.7L / 100km

The rules on fostering in the UAE

A foster couple or family must:

be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
not be younger than 25 years old
not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially

Company%20profile

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Thor: Ragnarok

Dir: Taika Waititi

Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Cate Blanchett, Jeff Goldblum, Mark Ruffalo, Tessa Thompson

Four stars

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The specs

Engine: 5.0-litre V8

Power: 480hp at 7,250rpm

Torque: 566Nm at 4,600rpm

Transmission: 10-speed auto

Fuel consumption: L/100km

Price: Dh306,495

On sale: now

ICC T20 Team of 2021

Jos Buttler, Mohammad Rizwan, Babar Azam, Aiden Markram, Mitchell Marsh, David Miller, Tabraiz Shamsi, Josh Hazlewood, Wanindu Hasaranga, Mustafizur Rahman, Shaheen Afridi

THE SPECS

Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine

Power: 420kW

Torque: 780Nm

Transmission: 8-speed automatic

Price: From Dh1,350,000

On sale: Available for preorder now

How to protect yourself when air quality drops

Install an air filter in your home.

Close your windows and turn on the AC.

Shower or bath after being outside.

Wear a face mask.

Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.

If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.

Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)

Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi

Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi

Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai

Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi

Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia

SUZUME

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Real estate tokenisation project

Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.

The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.

Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.