2013
ANNUAL REPORT
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INSPIRE Annual Report
Foreword T
his year has been an outstanding success for the Indian Ocean Strategic Partnership to Reduce Emissions (INSPIRE), as members strive to work together to meet the challenges of air traffic growth and an ever-increasing demand for greater safety and efficiency. Early this year INSPIRE and Arabian Sea/Indian Ocean Air Traffic Services Coordination Group (ASIOACG) shared in an IHS Jane’s award for service provision to the aviation industry, the culmination of strong collaboration in a project designed to improve operational efficiency and safety for aviation. It has been my privilege to be Chair of INSPIRE over this time and it is my pleasure to present the 2013 INSPIRE Annual Report. 2013 was a notable year for members of INSPIRE, in which we were able to recognise the fruits of an enormous collaborative effort through the establishment of the Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean User Preferred Route (UPR) geographic zone. This UPR zone represents one of the largest UPR regions in the world. In a few short years we have been able to deliver a significant benefit to our airline customers and make a notable contribution to the reduction of aviation emissions. Whilst it is important to recognise our achievements, particularly remarkable achievements such as the UPR zone, it is equally important to remind ourselves of the goals of our ongoing journey to progress air transport and to set new challenges. INSPIRE will continue to strive to demonstrate to the global air traffic management community what is possible through collaboration and a common purpose based solidly on the altruistic ideals of improved safety and efficiency.
David Webb INSPIRE Chair 2013
INSPIRE Annual Report
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INSPIRE Annual Report
Contents Forward 3 Introduction 5 What is INSPIRE?
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Members of INSPIRE
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The INSPIRE commitment INSPIRE and ASIOACG 2013 Key achievements Looking to the future
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INSPIRE Annual Report
Introduction T
he air transportation industry is essential in fostering future economic growth and development, trade and commerce as well as cultural exchange and understanding among the world’s nations and people. The industry generates approximately 32 million jobs globally, directly and indirectly. Aircraft also carry a large proportion of the value of all world trade, approximately 40 per cent. By 2017 total passenger numbers are expected to rise to 3.91 billion—an increase of 930 million passengers over the 2.98 billion carried in 20121. In the Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean region, the rapid movement of people and goods that aviation allows will be crucial to continued economic growth and development in the next few decades. The aviation industry understands that environmental responsibility is a critical component of its license to grow. The aviation sector has a long and distinguished record of environmental achievement. Relative to other industries that emit global greenhouse gases (GHG), aviation contributes just three per cent of GHG emissions. Technological progress has significantly reduced aircraft fuel consumption and emissions on a per passenger basis over the last 30 years and the aviation industry is committed to improving on this record. However, we face a real challenge in achieving carbon neutral growth and minimising increases in emissions in the Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean zone as air transport activity is expected to continue to grow steadily. In order to meet the growing regional demand for air transportation, while maintaining the industry’s leadership position in environmental matters, it is essential for aviation partners to collaborate.
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International Air Transport Association (IATA) Airline Industry Forecast 2013-2017
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INSPIRE Annual Report
What is
INSPIRE?
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he Indian Ocean Strategic Partnership to Reduce Emissions (INSPIRE) was formed in March 2011. The INSPIRE partnership is a collaborative network of partners and peer organisations dedicated to improving the efficiency and sustainability of aviation across the Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean region. The strengths of the INSPIRE partnership lie in a collaborative approach built upon strong mutual trust between its members, a diverse membership that involves a notable portion of the world’s air traffic management community as well as proactive support from airline customers.
The INSPIRE
commitment O
ur members are heavily involved in key regional forums such as the Bay of Bengal, Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean Region forum and the Asia and Pacific Initiative to Reduce Emissions. INSPIRE members participate in International Civil Aviation Organisation groups from the South Atlantic, across Africa and the Middle East, Central and South East Asia, to the Pacific. This regional collaboration with international partners means INSPIRE and Arabian Sea/Indian Ocean Air Traffic Services Coordination Group (ASIOACG) are able to deliver improved harmonisation and environmental performance across a large geographic area. INSPIRE partners are committed to working closely with airlines and other stakeholders in the Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean region in order to:
accelerate the development and implementation of operational procedures to reduce the environmental footprint for all phases of flight on an operation-by-operation basis and from gate to gate facilitate world-wide interoperability of environmentally-friendly procedures and standards capitalise on existing technology and best practices develop shared performance metrics to measure improvements in the environmental performance of the air transport system
rovide a systematic approach to ensure appropriate p mitigation actions with short, medium and long‑term results communicate and publicise INSPIRE environmental initiatives, goals, progress and performance to the global aviation community, the media and the travelling public.
Partners
Members of INSPIRE
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he founding partners of INSPIRE are like-minded air navigation service providers (ANSP) which have the capacity and capability to provide leadership and contribute resources to the administration of the group. These are supported and assisted by a number of airline and peer organisation members. Our diverse and varied membership gives us the opportunity to draw together industry best practices as well as lessons learnt across the air traffic management community. Over the past three years, the membership of INSPIRE has experienced impressive growth to include representatives of airlines and ANSPs from across our region. We are now proud to include 16 ANSPs and 12 airlines as members.
INSPIRE Annual Report
Airports Authority India (AAI) Airservices Australia Air Traffic and Navigation Services of South Africa (ATNS)
Peer Organisations
bu Dhabi Airports Company A Abu Dhabi Department of Transport Agency for Aerial Navigation Safety in Africa (ASECNA) Madagascar Airport and Aviation Services Sri Lanka Limited (AASL) Civil Aviation Caretaker Authority for Somalia Civil Aviation Department of Mauritius D ubai Air Navigation Services (DANS) Kenya Civil Aviation Authority Maldives Airports Company Limited Maldives Civil Aviation Authority Public Authority for Civil Aviation, Sultanate of Oman Seychelles Civil Aviation Authority UAE General Civil Aviation Authority
Airlines
Air Madagascar Air India Cathay Pacific Airways Emirates Airline Ethopian Airlines Etihad Airways Kenya Airways Qantas Airways Qatar Airways Singapore Airlines South African Airways Virgin Australia
INSPIRE welcomes all regional ANSPs that implement Air Traffic Management environmental best practice within their area of responsibility to contribute as peer organisations.
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Role of ASIOACG T
he Arabian Sea/Indian Ocean Air Traffic Services (ATS) Coordination Group (ASIOACG) plays a key role in supporting and expediting the goals and objectives of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), especially in regard to Communication Navigation Surveillance and Air Traffic Management (ATM) initiatives within the Oceanic airspace of the Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean. INSPIRE promotes the implementation of ATM environmental best practice in all stages of flight and recognises that ASIOACG’s objectives are complementary to those of INSPIRE. As a result, all activities within the INSPIRE work program related to the en route phase of flight are progressed through ASIOACG.
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ASIOACG-INSPIRE’s well‑orchestrated efforts, involving 26 organisations, delivered the ASIO UPR geo zone spanning ten flight information regions, three continents and two oceans. ASIO UPR geo zone has been recognized by the Air Navigation Conference/12, ATC Global Award 2013 for INSPIRE and the IHS Jane’s ATM Award 2014 to ASIOACG. This global endorsement has further strengthened the resolve of ASIOACG-INSPIRE for collaborative efforts to make the world’s airspace safe and efficient and to fulfill the responsibility for contributing towards a greener planet by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. M.C. Dangi
General Manager (ATM) Airports Authority of India ASIOACG Chair
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2013 Key achievements Establishing ASIO-Z The establishment of user preferred routes over one of the world’s largest proportions of airspace—the Arabian Sea/ Indian Ocean User Preferred Route (UPR) geographic zone (ASIO-Z)—was the leading achievement for INSPIRE in 2013. The finished work was published on 17 October 2013 via AIP SUP by INSPIRE’s contributing air navigation service providers (ANSPs). The introduction of ASIO-Z was designed to provide widespread access to UPR in the en route stage of flight for all aircraft transiting the zone. The zone will allow airline operators to reduce fuel burn and therefore, emissions, by taking advantage of optimum routing and conditions for a particular flight. Establishing ASIO-Z resulted in a wide range of changes introduced to reduce constraints within the zone and improve routing options into and out of the zone. INSPIRE members continue to focus on reducing constraints in ASIO-Z where possible and are working toward expanding the zone wherever practicable.
Melbourne
FIGURE 1 - ASIO-Z was published on 17 October 2013.
Emirates Airlines demonstration flight highlight benefits of ASIO-Z To highlight the benefits of ASIO-Z and note the approval for Required Navigation Performance Authorisation Required (RNP-AR) authorisation required (also referred to as ‘Smart Tracking’) at Brisbane on 1 September 2013, Emirates Airlines flight EK434 conducted a demonstration flight from Dubai to Brisbane. This flight was able to extend the UPR across Australian continental airspace to the point of the Standard Arrival Route commencement before conducting the RNPAR. The trial flight indicated potential annual carbon dioxide emission savings of 10,000 tonnes with potential yearly savings of millions of tonnes. The International Air Transport Association forecast that from early 2014, more than 320 flights a week will take advantage of the UPR geographic route flexibility provided by ASIO-Z, with each flight saving an average of 740kg fuel per flight.
IHS Jane’s ATC award Following the establishment of ASIO-Z, the ASIOACG and INSPIRE programs received an IHS Jane’s award in the Service Provision category at the 14th annual ATC Awards ceremony. The award was presented at the Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation ATM Dinner in Madrid, Spain on 3 March 2014.
Above: Air Traffic Navigation Services of South Africa’s Thabani Mthiyanbe, Airservices Margaret Staib and Airports Authority of India’s Shri V. Somasundaram accept the IHS Jane’s award in March 2014.
International conference on air navigation Airservices hosted an international conference on air navigation from 26–28 November 2013. The conference brought together ANSPs and airlines from Central and South East Asia, the Middle East and Africa in the eighth annual meeting of ASIOACG combined with INSPIRE’s fourth annual forum. The INSPIRE partners reviewed ASIO-Z and developed a program of work to extend the efficiency of flights in the zone.
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INSPIRE Annual Report
User Preferred Routes
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ser Preferred Routes (UPRs) improve operational efficiencies for airlines and make a significant contribution to efforts to minimise the environmental impact of aviation. A UPR during the oceanic phase of flight is defined as a lateral profile developed for each individual flight by the flight operator. These lateral profiles are customised in order to meet the specific needs of the aircraft operator for that flight, including fuel optimisation, cost-index performance or specific mission requirements. Typically, a UPR will be calculated by an aircraft operator’s flight dispatch based on factors such as forecast winds, aircraft type and performance, convective weather and scheduling requirements. UPRs are a favoured enhancement to oceanic operations where air traffic control limitations previously required that aircraft fly on fixed air traffic services (ATS) routes or published flexible track systems. This enhancement is directly attributable to the implementation of ground and airborne improvements such as automated conflict prediction, conformance monitoring and automatic dependent surveillance. When UPRs are created based on fuel optimisation considerations, the corresponding savings in greenhouse gas emissions can be substantial. UPRs are often constrained by requirements for flights to cross boundaries between flight information regions at predetermined points. These constraints can be reduced through improved ground-ground integration, such as the implementation of ATS interfacility data communications.
Arabian Sea
Indian Ocean
FIGURE 2 - UPRs take advantage of optimized wind conditions.
INSPIRE Annual Report
Looking to the future
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ollowing the successful implementation of the User Preferred Route (UPR) geographic zone in late 2013, the INSPIRE team is now focused on improving the efficiency of the UPR zone. There are two key initiatives: 1. w idespread implementation of Required Navigation Performance (RNP10) reduced lateral separation 2. widespread implementation of Air Traffic Services (ATS) interfacility data communications. Together, these initiatives will provide airline customers with flight paths which more closely match their needs and provide greater access to preferred altitudes. Additionally, they will improve operational efficiency and safety for aviation and contribute to a reduction in carbon emissions and fuel costs for airlines.
Widespread implementation of RNP10 Air Traffic Control (ATC) assures the safety of flight by ensuring adequate spacing between aircraft. This spacing is determined by separation standards. RNP separation standards such as RNP10 allow aircraft to be safely spaced more closely and thereby allow flights to more readily achieve their preferred altitude. This delivers improved fuel efficiency and reduced emissions.
Widespread implementation of ATS interfacility data communications Electronic messaging has many advantages. It improves safety by reducing the opportunity for human error to occur in coordination between ATC units. It also provides greater flexibility to our customers, allowing them to cross flight information region boundaries at a much wider range of points. This, in turn, increases the opportunity for greater efficiency. The ASIOACG is leading the work to standardise procedures for electronic messaging across the region and commence testing and trials between member air navigation service providers.
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INSPIRE—a brilliant decision in the light of significant results from flights involving some 20 partners. Air navigation service providers of the Arabian Sea Indian Ocean Air Traffic Services Coordination Group, working with the airline industry, have established what is now known as the User Preferred Route (UPR) geographic zone—with resultant safety, efficiency and environmental benefits. This UPR geographic zone was launched by INSPIRE in October 2013. Trial flights in mid-2013 indicated potential annual carbon dioxide savings of 10,000 tonnes, with potential yearly savings of millions of tonnes. As INSPIRE, we are particularly proud to see that most of the solutions demonstrated are now available for day-to-day operations. Feedback from INSPIRE partners confirms that their participation is a clear ‘win-win’ situation for them, allowing all the INSPIRE airline partners to implement and maintain environmentally-friendly operations. For the future, INSPIRE will remain committed to work closely with airlines and other stakeholders in the region in order to accelerate the development and implementation of operational procedures to reduce the environmental footprint for all phases of flight on an operation–by-operation basis, from gate to gate, and to facilitate world-wide interoperability of environmentally-friendly procedures and standards. The INSPIRE partners envision continued growth as additional Air Navigation Service Providers are welcomed to the INSPIRE agreement. The intended result is a collaborative network of partners across the Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean region dedicated to the expressed goals of INSPIRE. Johnny Smit INSPIRE Chair 2014 Manager Air Traffic Services: Johannesburg | ATSFAOR
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