Towards an even
more sustainable TUI fly
According to figures of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), aviation accounts for about 2-3% of total global CO2 emissions.
Of course, leisure carrier flights contribute less to the greenhouse effect compared to scheduled and low cost airlines thanks to the high passenger load factor, the number of seats on board and a large majority of direct flights.
TUI fly has been actively limiting the environmental impact of its activities for years. Fuel efficiency and emission reduction has been clearly described in the company’s procedures since it was founded in 2004.
Below we give you an overview of some of the measures we have taken throughout the years in order to become a more sustainable airline company:
- Fleet modernisation
- Winglets
- Waste on board
- Weight savings
- Fuel and environmental report
- Optimal and dynamic flight plans
- Moving towards a paperless cockpit
- Continuous descent
- Energy-saving measures upon landing
By introducing more and more newly manufactured aircraft, we have made sure that TUI fly has the youngest fleet in Belgium.
Newer aircraft feature more efficient engines, so they consume less fuel and emit less CO2. In addition, these engines are quieter, which allows us to also make a positive contribution to the comfort of both the people who live near airports and our passengers on board.
Boeing 737 NG (Next Generation) aircraft have larger wings, which allow them to fly at higher altitudes, where air resistance is much lower, resulting in lower consumption and emissions.
The cockpit features the latest computers and navigation equipment, which allows us to take the best routes taking into account all relevant parameters.
TUI fly's switch from Boeing 737 Classic Generation to 737 NG and E-Jet has enabled the company to annually consume 860,000 litres less fuel and emit 2,300 tons less CO2 per aircraft!
Throughout the years, all of our aircraft were equipped with vertical wingtips, which are called winglets. They reduce air resistance and turbulence around the wings. This improves aerodynamics and leads to reduced fuel consumption. This modification constituted a significant investment for TUI fly. However, it results in a reduction in consumption and emissions of about 3% in a Boeing 737 and up to 6% in a Boeing 767.
Starting from 2014, every single one of the winglets will be converted into split winglets. This adjustment will result in an additional 2% reduction in emissions and fuel consumption.
As from 2018, we expect to expand our fleet with the Boeing 737 MAX, the successor of our current 737 “Next Generation” aircraft. The 737 MAX will be the most revolutionary aircraft type in the medium-haul segment. The plane will be equipped with a further optimised version of the split winglets and latest generation engines. This allows for an additional 13% reduction in fuel consumption and CO2 emissions and reduces noise by 40%.
On your typical flight to a holiday destination, which usually lasts for at least a few hours, it is inevitable that passengers will produce waste. Our cabin crew makes sure that all recyclables such as paper, cardboard, aluminium (drink cans), glass and plastic are separated from residual waste so that they can once again be processed into high-quality raw materials and cause no harm to the environment.
A heavier aircraft consumes more fuel and generates more CO2. This is why TUI fly has been implementing weight-saving measures from the very beginning. For example, baggage is loaded and unloaded manually and not by means of a heavy automated system in the cargo space, and we use special lightweight trolleys for the service on board.
Fuel and environmental report:
After each flight our pilots receive an Excel file detailing their flight “performance” in terms of:
- fuel consumption compared to the TUI fly standard.
- the cost of their fuel consumption during the flight.
- the ecological impact of each and every one of their decisions taken during the flight, measured in CO2 emissions.
This makes TUI fly unique in Belgium.
We also obtain a report per aircraft, which allows us to take swift and timely action for each aircraft individually so that they can fly in ideal technical conditions and in a consumption and emission-conscious manner.
Optimal and dynamic flight plans:
The latest on-board computers with which our aircraft are equipped allow us to minimise our consumption and emissions:
- We determine each flight plan, including speed, altitude and weight distribution, on the basis of previously entered parameters, but we continuously adjust the plan to current parameters as well as to parameters that change during the flight.
- Our systems allow us to implement the variable speed planning method. In practice this means that we not only refuel taking into account the winds on our route, but also adjust our airspeed to those winds. After all, it is a public misconception that a plane consumes less fuel when it flies at a consistently lower speed. What is correct is that speed adjustment, which does not necessarily mean speed reduction, in line with altitude and winds results in reduced fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.
Moving towards a paperless cockpit:
Apart from their on-board computers, TUI fly pilots work with special laptops in the cockpit so that they no longer have to use paper manuals or carry out manual calculations. This results in significant benefits:
- Optimised weight distribution calculation, leading to reduced fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.
- Number of printouts is reduced by 2000 pages a day.
- The decrease in the number of paper manuals leads to a saving in weight and saves one million pages of paper per year.
When nearing their destination, our pilots use the ‘continuous descent approach (CDA)’ as much as possible. This means that the pilots do not undertake a conventional stepped descent but start the descent to the airport as late as possible in collaboration with air traffic control provided conditions allow. This way our aircraft travel at high altitude for as long as possible, resulting in a significant fuel consumption and CO2 emission reduction. In addition, this allows us to keep noise nuisance to a minimum.
Energy-saving measures upon landing:
If conditions allow, only one engine is used to taxi to the terminal after landing so as to reduce fuel consumption and emissions. Once the aircraft has arrived at the terminal, the engines are shut down as soon as possible, upon which a small auxiliary engine can be started in order to continue providing the plane with sufficient electricity. However, our pilots always ask for an external power cable to be connected to the plane so as to avoid any additional fuel consumption and CO2 emission.
All the above measures have enabled TUI fly to reduce its average fuel consumption per 100 passenger kilometres to under 3 litres.