When everyone gets their heads together and looks beyond their day-to-day operations, some outstanding work can be done.

One of the most important functions of the Air Transport Action Group (ATAG) is to bring organisations together and ensure the best outcomes for the industry, travellers, the economy, society and the environment.

Such coordination is vital in any industry, but none more so than in aviation, where each player has a big effect on the overall system. Airlines for example simply cannot operate without air traffic control or airports.

I said outstanding work, and here it is: spurred on by the spiralling impact of fuel prices and the need to reduce emissions, IATA, CANSO and Eurocontrol have released what they are calling the Flight Efficiency Plan.

The Flight Efficiency Plan follows five work streams: enhancing airspace design; improving enroute airspace utilisation; more efficient landing and take-off procedures; collaborative decision making to ensure airport infrastructure is used most efficiently; and improving awareness on performance.

Each step shaves precious minutes, seconds and kilometres off flight routings. This may not sound significant, but as these small savings will be made on each of the more than 10 million flights taking place each year in Europe, big overall savings can be made.

In fact, there is expected to be an annual reduction in fuel use of 470 tonnes which equates to around 1.5 million tonnes of CO2 and, importantly for passengers, more direct flights and fewer delays.

Now that’s cooperation!

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