Research and testing of new software capability has found that its ability to calculate gate pushbacks at hub airports allows planes to roll directly to the runway for take-off, reducing fuel burn, CO2 emissions and taxi time, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and NASA announced Tuesday.
The FAA said it plans to deploy the capability as part of a larger investment into surface management technology at 27 airports across the country.
“The future of flight must be more sustainable and environmentally friendly,” FAA Administrator Steve Dickson said. “This new capability as part of a flight merging system has a double benefit: It reduces aircraft emissions and ensures air travelers experience more on-time departures.”
The software capability is part of the FAA’s Terminal Flight Data Manager (TFDM) program, developed by NASA and tested for nearly four years by the FAA’s NextGen group, airlines’ airport operations, FAA radar facilities in Charlotte and Dallas/Fort Worth, and the Atlanta and Washington, D.C. centers handling high-altitude en route flights.
“NASA is developing transformative technologies that will revolutionize the aviation sector as we know it,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said. “The proof is in the pudding. This air traffic scheduling technology enhances aircraft efficiency and improves dependability for passengers every day. I’m excited that the software NASA developed for air traffic controllers and airlines will be soon rolled out at airports across the country and know the results will continue to be extraordinary.”
Testing at Charlotte Douglas International Airport found that the program reduced taxi times, saving more than 275,000 gallons of fuel annually; reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 8 tons of CO2 daily; and reduced delays by 916 hours, the equivalent of shaving 15 minutes of waiting time on the taxiway for more than 3,600 departing flights.
When the FAA rolls out the enhanced TFDM, it estimates it will save more than 7 million gallons of fuel every year, while eliminating more than 75,000 tons of CO2 annually.
Airports currently expected to be included in the rollout include: Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago Midway, Chicago O’Hare, Dallas-Ft. Worth, Denver, Detroit, Fort Lauderdale, Houston Bush, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Newark, New York JFK, New York La Guardia, Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Washington Dulles, and Washington Reagan National.