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Quest for efficiency: how Emirates is saving fuel and emissions

Emirates’ Captain Alan Stealey. Picture: Stephen Scourfield

The Dubai-based airline has a thirst for using less fuel, hears Stephen Scourfield.

Efficiencies and economies are priorities for airlines, and so too is reducing emissions. The future of that, says Captain Alan Stealey, Emirates divisional senior vice-president flight operations, will come through constant development and steady advances.

Speaking at Emirates Group headquarters in Dubai, Captain Stealey says: “A one per cent saving in fuel is significant.”

He corrects himself: “A half per cent saving in fuel is significant.”

Which brings us to the economies of the Emirates A380, one of which now flies daily between Perth and Dubai. The airline has 59 in the fleet and has already carried more than 32 million passengers on them, 81 more on order, flying to more than 30 destinations.

It has lightweight carpets, curtains and seats. Saving a kilo in an economy seat multiplies to nearly half a tonne in weight, which leads to a saving in fuel and emissions.

The savings come from planning.

“So we are involved in the aircraft from day one,” he says. “The beauty of our A380 is that we were in from early on, even with the development of the flight deck and simulator, and the writing of manuals.”

The group’s feedback on the aircraft and its technical systems is crucial and is taken into account.

In the long-haul planes, Emirates’ pilots tend to specialise in Boeing or Airbus, and they go through rigorous training, including being in a simulator four times a year (twice as much as required by regulations).

“In the simulator, they are hand-flying the aircraft.”

Captain Stealey blends a long career of practical experience, much of it with BA, with a thirst for development and incremental improvement.

He first flew as a captain in 1974, piloting a Trident tri-jet. He then flew Boeing 747s for 15 years — an aircraft which was a game changer in its day.

But it is the A380’s wings that have changed the game again. “It is the wingspan that gives it efficiency and longer range.”

Another significant way to improve efficiency and reduce fuel consumption is through the route the aircraft flies.

“We have been working successfully with Air Services Australia for a long time,” Captain Stealey says. “Perth controls air routes over most of the Indian Ocean.”

By working together, they have built flexibility and fuel saving into routes. “If there is a strong jet stream, we go for that, as it reduces fuel.”

Flying from Dubai to Perth, that might mean heading further south to pick it up — “way south, to Mauritius.” On flights from Perth to Dubai, they are more likely to follow a more northerly line, to avoid what has now become a headwind. “We will head much further north, flying over India.”

In describing these routes — this search to both find and avoid extreme wind over the Indian Ocean — I am reminded of the early European history of WA. Square riggers sailed far south to pick up trade winds, to run with it and come roaring in from the west towards the WA coast.

“Give me a tailwind any day,” Captain Stealey says.

Another example of economies through route development is in Emirates’ successfully negotiating new routes over Russia. It now flies from Dubai to Los Angeles across the North Pole, rather than “round the side” across Asia.

“The Russians have put in all sorts of new routes for us,” he says. And it is working with African and South American countries to amend routes to take advantage of conditions.

Captain Stealey adds: “Some people seem to think Emirates has a tap in the ground somewhere, where we can just fill up. We haven’t. We employ an agent in Texas, just like every other airline, who buys our fuel.” And that fuel can represent 40 per cent of operating costs.

Emirates, he says, was set up as a commercial entity: “Just told ‘Be great and good luck’.”

And tough love is paying off.

Stephen Scourfield flew to Dubai as a guest of Emirates.