- AMDAR -Investment, Usage & Savings

- AMDAR -Investment, Usage & Savings

Statistics by: Paul Wilson - 1st Officer A340/A330 & Technical Pilot.

South African AirwaysCompiled by: Hennie Venter - Business Analyst & ACARS Administrator

The Actual experience of aDynamic African Airline

The Actual experience of aDynamic African Airline

AMDAR Data Feeds:

We will look at:

Should you Participate in AMDAR data feeds?

Invest or don’t invest

How to recover your investment

Methods of recovering investment.

Savings to be made.

Are you Planning to Participate?

A lot of airlines, and especially the smaller operators claim:

“The message costs are just too high and what return do we get for our investment?”

Now read this!

“You cannot afford not to participate!”

“The returns are far too high to want to lose out!”

“We just cannot afford to participate in the AMDAR data feed”

The principle of Investment to

achieve Growth, also applies here!

Invest in AMDAR

Don’t Invest in AMDAR

Large Return Small Return

Asset = Aircraft Fleet and

Operation

Let us look at the South African Airways

Experience

To protect SAA’s Privacy, only approximate values are quoted!

South African Airways is basically the only Airline providing AMDAR data in the African region and east and west of Africa.

Therefore, if SAA don’t participate, the map of the routes they cover, will look like this for all operators flying in this region:

Because SAA participates in AMDAR feeds, weather data is available for all operators, including themselves, in the area that they fly.

Typical Monthly Footprint of SAA - AMDAR Data Feed

Where does the saving come in?

First of all, SAA is a key contributor of AMDAR data feed in the Africa region as well as east and west oceanic regions.

SAA finances their feed costs by selling it to the local SA Weather Services who in turn contributes this data to the WMO central database. (Approximately 5,500 observations per month).

As an Airline, you Can Also:

Recover the additional costs by selling your AMDAR observation data.

Recover the investment to equip your fleet to be AMDAR enabled.

Generate additional savings to reduce the burden of high operational costs.

Now let us look how your participation in AMDAR / weather data can benefit your operation.

With most airlines, their flight plan system makes use of weather data to calculate the most economical route, flight level, speed and fuel uplift, based on conditions at that time could be valid at the time of processing, such as the previous evening, a few hours before departure, etc

During the lapse in time before departure, weather conditions could have changed drastically and this leads to inappropriate decision on optimal route, flight level, speed and fuel uplift.

During long flights such as 10 to 16 hours flights, the weather conditions would probably be outdated midway during the flight.

The solution is to make use of a dynamic system where you can get updated plans just prior to flight and also during the flight. The crew can dynamically request updated reports every few hours to adjust for optimum route, flight level and speed.

How can this be accomplish?

There are two main areas that an Airline can address:

1. Pre-departure – Dynamic Fuel PlanningWhere the crew can request Dynamic Fuel Planning information just before departure making use of actual zero fuel weight and current weather conditions.

2. a) Pre-departure flight PlanningWhere the crew can request a new Flight Plan or Winds Aloft through ACARS and automatically receive an updated report before departure.

b) In-flight PlanningHere the crew can request a new Flight Plan or Winds Aloft through ACARS and automatically receive an updated report during an active flight

Note:

The findings below were based on SAA’s 24 wide body aircraft which includes their A340-300, A340-600 and A330-200 fleet.

Similar results were experienced on SAA’s narrow body fleet of aircraft.

Airbus claims that the fuel cost for the A340-300 is around 62% of the operational cost. Below you will see the distribution of costs:

Factors influencing Fuel usage and costs:

Weather – (Wind, Temperature, Altitude)

Speed

Optimum Altitude

Total Weight

Carbon Emission (Fines / Credits)

Time Duration of flight

TOC (Top of Climb) and TOD (Top of Decent) position

The two basic areas that an Airline can address:

Dynamic Fuel Planning

Pre and In-Flight Planning

Dynamic Fuel Planning

The actual total weight as well as the present Weather conditions will determine the Optimum Fuel up-load.

Depending on the sector length, the fuel consumed in carrying additional fuel is between 25% and 40% of the additional uplift.

Example:

An additional uplift of 1000kg fuel on a JNB-LHR sector would burn an additional 250kg of fuel to carry the additional fuel, leaving only 750kg of the extra fuel available at the destination.

Now you can see that it is important to

use proper planning tools to:

- Fly most economical altitude, route & speed.

- Not to carry unnecessary fuel.

Wow!

Pre-Departure

Dynamic Fuel Planning

Hours before departure, the Flight Plan is calculated based on planned Zero Fuel Weight and prevailing weather conditions at that time.

When fueling the aircraft, the aircraft is short fueled 2 ton less than what the original Flight Plan stipulates.

When the Loadsheet is received, the actual Zero Fuel Weight is known.

The Crew requests an updated fuel plan, based on the actual Zero Fuel Weight and current weather conditions.

The Crew receives an updated fuel plan, based on the actual Zero Fuel Weight and current weather conditions.

The aircraft fuel is topped up to the new fuel figure stipulated in the updated fuel plan just before the doors are closed.

The aircraft departs with the correct amount

of fuel for the flight – usually a reasonable

amount less than stipulated in the original

flight plan. Departure

So, What are the savings?

Financial Results of using Dynamic Fuel Planning

SAA wide body aircraft:

oSavings over a one year period, Utilizing actual Zero Fuel Weight and using Current prevailing weather conditions:

Between 2 and 3 Million Dollars

Now Let us Look at

Pre & In-Flight Planning

Efficient fuel management is determined by efficient and optimized flight planning,

o pre-departure

o in-flight with enroute updates to ensure optimized tactical in-flight planning with the latest weather prognosis.

To fly as close as possible to OPT ALT (Optimal Altitude) for best economy.

o As the deviation from OPT ALT increases, the economy decreases.o The economic performance for the A330 is degraded, at any level other

than OPT ALT.

- Flying 2000ft above OPT ALT = fuel penalty of 2.5%- Flying 2000ft below OPT ALT = fuel penalty of 1.5%- Flying 4000ft below OPT ALT = fuel penalty of 5%

Factors to consider that influence the fuel consumption

Winds and Temperature parameters.

A 30 knot wind difference leads to a 2000kg difference in EFOB, estimated fuel onboard at the destination and 25 min to destination estimated time of arrival, or ETA. A headwind would realize an increase in fuel consumed, and additional flight time.

- The OPT ALT variation is 1000ft for a 5° C delta, or change to ISA dev.- The OPT ALT variation is 2000 ft change for a 30 knot wind change.- The TOC and TOD position shifted by 15 Nm per 30 knot wind diff.- A change in wind is made if the wind varies by 30 degrees or 30 knots

Top of Climb (TOD) & Top of Decent (TOD).

The TOC and TOD position shifts by 15 Nm per 30 knot wind difference. Thus, for a 2 knot wind change the TOC and TOD position will move by 1 Nm

Decent Path.

It is important to determine best TOD position for existing wind condition to obtain best Idle segment during decent for greatest fuel saving and also saving time duration of flight (which in turn saves fuel burn).

Reduction in Carbon Emission.

Fuel burnt contributes to increased carbon emissions. o Every 1000kg of fuel used equates to approximately

3100kg of CO2, carbon dioxide emissions.

o Less fuel burnt = less Carbon emitted.

A Saving in Carbon Emission realizes a saving in the EU emission tax / levy. (See Report later on).

All the above points are addressed in the

Pre & In-Flight Planning processes

Now Let us Look at

The Process

Pre and In-flight Planning

Hours before departure, the Flight Plan is calculated based on prevailing weather conditions at that time.

At various time intervals during the flight, when existing weather conditions have changed, the Crew can request updated flight plan reports and make the necessary adjustments in: flight level, route and speed to ensure optimum economy under the present conditions.

The Crew can now request an updated weather report that will provide the most economical values for the current prevailing weather conditions to use for the initial portion of the flight.

Prior to departure, the best flight level, route and speed originally calculated, might not be effective anymore as weather conditions could have changed drastically during the lapse in time.

Results Over One Year

Rate Value

Total Sectors  13,310

SectorsChange in FUEL usage 69% 9,184 SectorsSectors with >100kg Saving 44% 5,856 SectorsFUEL Saved   >600,000 kg

Cost of FUEL Saved in Excess of >$600,000

The Savings over one Year – FUEL Only

The Savings over one Year – Reduction in Carbon Emission

Results Over One Year

Rate ValueTotal Sectors   13310 SectorsChange in FUEL usage 69% 9184 SectorsSectors with >100kg Saving 44% 5856 SectorsFUEL Saved   >600,000 kg

Carbon Emission Saved(kg) CO₂ >2,000,000 kg

The Savings over one Year – Saving in Time

Consider 1 minute is saved on every sector, with a total of 13310 sectors flown on the A340/A330 fleet, this equates to 13310 minutes. This is 221 hours.

If the average flying time to LHR is 11 hours, this saving equates to 20 sectors (10 Return Flights JHB – LHR) fully funded.

Remember; This reductions in hours also spills over into the

Maintenance Costs with less hours on Engines, Components & Airframe.

The benefit to the airline has been a:

Fuel saving initiative,

Flight time initiative.

Reduction in carbon emissions..

Total Benefits of:Pre & In-Flight Planning

Can You See the Affectivity Of This Dynamic Planning Spilling

Through Onto A Map?

Flight from Sau Paulo to Johannesburg making maximum use of weather conditions for best

fuel economy. Note the long flight path.

Flights to Sau Paulo and Buenos Aires taking different routes to avoid the strong head winds.

Saving

Investment

Are you Planning to Participate?

EndEnd

Thank you for Participating and Investing to Save

Thank you for Participating and Investing to Save