Gulfnews: Emirates plans longest 'green flight' from Dubai to San Fransisco
Shouldn't we be concentrating our efforts closer to home. All the negotiation with external ATC and agencies across the world for one flight when every EK flight arriving into DXB has to enter the UAE FIR at FL270 or below.
Depending on the runway in use in DXB this restriction puts each aircraft between 5000 and 10000 ft below optimum profile.This alone burns between 500 & 2000kg of additional fuel with the associated carbon and noise emissions. All this is before the arbitrary speed restricted high drag +- 150 track miles of vectors.
Poor airspace management, regional willy waving and antiquated procedures in UAE need to be addressed before we embark on telling the world how clever and environmentally friendly EK is.
Emirates has the clout to do it but does not seem to have the faintest idea of where to start. Hell, we even have a VP environmental affairs who's only contribution to date has been to introduce a paper recycling effort and produce a glossy brochure attacking other airlines and putting out a
PR smokescreen to cover EK inefficiencies.
To the ATC guys don't take this the wrong way most of us know that you are doing the best you can with what you have. You know the problems and so do we pilots yet it is impossible to get the people who could actually do something about this to get of their arses and act. It is far easier to use the already well honed
PR machine to do the work.
As with all things EK and UAE it only has to look good who cares if it works?