Airlines on the right track at EMA
Businesses and airlines operating from East Midlands Airport have today been recognised for ‘outstanding performance’, at the annual Pilot Awards ceremony, held at East Midlands Airport.
BMI, bmibaby, Star Air, DHL, UPS, Thomas Cook Airlines, Thomson Airways and Ryanair have all performed exceptionally in environment and noise abatement procedures imposed by the airport, during 2010.
The airport sets challenging compliance targets for noise abatement procedures, expecting over 80% of arriving aircraft to achieve a Continuous Descent Approach and 95% or more of departures to remain within defined departure route corridors. Airlines exceeding both targets have been rewarded for their efforts.
End of year figures for 2010 show that 86% of aircraft arriving at East Midlands Airport achieved a Continuous Descent Approach and 99% of departing flights followed routes designed to direct aircraft noise away from heavily populated areas.
Departure track compliance is used when aircraft are leaving the airport. They must stay within tightly defined flight paths, which have been designed to limit the disturbance to local communities. Continuous Decent Approach is a procedure which requires aircraft to descend smoothly from 6,000 feet to reduce the noise impact on the ground. This is the quietest way for aircraft to descend, as it minimises the use of the aircraft’s engines, and can result in a drop of up to 5 decibels in noise. Aircraft using a Continuous Descent Approach also require less engine power when arriving, resulting in a reduction in fuel use and emissions.
A Noise and Track Monitoring System is used to check and report on the performance of all arriving and departing aircraft movements up to 30 miles from the airport, enabling the airport to recognise pilots who adhere to the required conditions.
Neil Robinson, Director of Sustainability, East Midlands Airport said: “The Pilot’s Awards recognise the importance that is placed on minimising noise and reducing carbon emissions by the airport and the operators. East Midlands Airport is a responsible neighbour and we are highly committed to achieving the environmental standards outlined in our masterplan. Strong relationships with our operators ensure that the impact of our operations is kept to a minimum and that the demanding standards we expect are met and exceeded. We are pleased to be able to recognise the work of the highest performing operators and I would like to congratulate both the businesses and their pilots for consistently achieving such high standards.”
Published on: 19/04/2011 13:52:26