Daily Mail, by Ray Massey, Transport Editor, 24 Dec 2011
- Long-haul
flight times reduced by up to 50%
- 'Whole new
world opened up,' says Branson
Air
passengers will be able to cut the times of long-haul flights by as much as
half and fly faster to exotic destinations under a new relaxation of aviation
rules.
It could
also mean cheaper and cleaner flights for British holidaymakers.
The new
rules will allow carriers operating in the South Pacific, to take a 'short cut'
over the North Pole for the first time.
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Shorter flights: A British Airways Boeing 777 which will be able to
take a 'short cut' over the North pole
|
While
passenger jets from Australia to South America will be able to fly the most
direct routes.
FLIGHTS
FROM LONDON
- Fiji
(10,000 miles) - current time via Los Angles or Seoul: 24 hours. New time:
18 hours non-stop using 'polar express' short cut.
- Tahiti
(9,600 miles) via Los Angeles: 23 hours. New time:
17 hours.
- Honolulu
(7,300 miles) via Los Angeles: 18 hours. New time:
13 hours.
- Anchorage
(4,500 miles) via Seattle: 16 hours. New time: 8
hours
Until now,
Boeing’s 777 and the new 787 ‘Dreamliner’ jets had for safety reasons to stay
within a three hour range (180 minutes)
of the nearest diversion airport.
Under the
new rules, that has been nearly doubled to five and a half hours, (330 minutes)
taking account of improvements in aircraft and engine technology.
It means,
for example, that planes from the UK
will be able to take a non-stop flight - dubbed 'Santa's short cut' -
over the North Pole to destinations such
as Hawaii, Alaska or French Polynesia.
It also
means shorter journeys, cheaper flights, less fuel, and lower emissions of
carbon dioxide (CO2) - the so-called greenhouse gas’ blamed for global warming.
The
‘extended operations’ rules define the time that an aircraft is permitted to be
from an emergency landing site in case of an engine failure and is applied to
two-engine jets.
It follows
a decision by the U.S. Federal Aviation
Administration to allow up to
330-minutes ‘extended operations’ for Boeings'
777 fleet.
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Frozen: An aerial view of the North Pole which passenger carriers
will now be able to fly over to exotic destinations
|
It allows
airlines operating Boeing 777-300ER
(extended range), 777-200LR (longer range), 777 Freighter and 777-200ER models
equipped with General Electric engines to fly up to 330 minutes from a
potential ‘diversion’ airport.
Approval
for the Boeing 777-200ER equipped with British Rolls-Royce and American Pratt
& Whitney engines is expected to follow over the next few months.
The first
airline to take advantage of the new longer ‘extended operations’ option is Air
New Zealand which earlier this month flew from Los Angeles to Auckland.
Capt. David
Morgan, chief pilot for Air New Zealand said: ‘What this means is that the
aeroplane is able to fly a straighter
route between pairs of cities and that's good for the environment.
‘Less fuel
is burned and less carbon dioxide is emitted into the atmosphere. It's also
good for customers because flights are potentially shorter and passengers could
arrive sooner at their destinations.’
Virgin
Atlantic airline president Sir Richard Branson said: 'This new development
really does open up a whole new world.
'Our new
fleet of 787s could well be flying to Honolulu or even Fiji one day.'
Last
October The European Aviation Safety Agency granted a 207-minute rating after
receiving an application from Air France to fly a 777-300ER from Los Angeles to
Papeete, Tahiti. The European agency is also
expected to adopt the 330-minute rule.
Planes once
flew over the North Pole during the Cold War in the 1950s to avoid Communist
Bloc airspace.
Related Article:
 |
Richard Branson said the airline industry should aim for 50% sustainable
fuels by 2020. Photograph: Mark Lennihan/AP |
.
