Operates as a Fully Independent International Civil Aviation Consultancy

A year-long trial in the Gothenburg area using lowered approach speeds for landing aircraft was so successful that it will now be implemented permanently. The clear winners are the airlines and the environment.

 "The project calculated that the approach speed reduction during the test period corresponded to a saving of 800 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year in the Gothenburg area, which also means around SEK 2 million less in fuel costs for the airlines. These are large volumes for a change which is relatively simple to implement and which is also in demand by the airlines," explains Patrik Bergviken, air traffic controller at LFV Landvetter and project manager for EcoDescend.

The average speed reduction achieved during the test period with EcoDescend corresponds to an extended flight-time of about 35 seconds. The Gothenburg area includes Gothenburg Landvetter Airport and Gothenburg City Airport.

"The cooperation between Swedavia and LFV to reduce aviation’s impact on the environment is very positive, in which EcoDescend represents one of the numerous projects whose aim is to reduce aviation’s impact on the environment through different types of optimisation. Green descents, curved approaches and speed limits all contribute to our joint efforts to reduce both emissions which affect the environment and aircraft noise in the immediate vicinity," adds Landvetter’s environmental manager, Maria Gelin.

"This is a fantastic project which we are delighted has now been made permanent. This does not just imply a positive effect for us and the airlines of today but this also affects our children’s future," says Annika Nyberg, MD at Göteborg City Airport.

LFV hopes to test similar methods in other parts of Sweden. A good impact coupled with being rolled out in the whole of Swedish airspace means achieving an annual reduction in carbon dioxide emissions with figures up to the 10 000 tonne-mark.