Fuel consumption can be reduced by not only efficient aircraft, but also by efficient flying. SWISS minimises its environmental footprint with economical flight procedures, streamlined flight routes and optimised fuel weight.
Only as much fuel as needed
Every excess kilogram of fuel drives up consumption: Transporting one metric tonne of fuel on a long-haul flight consumes 300 kilograms of jet fuel. It is thus essential to take only as much fuel as the aircraft needs. SWISS's fuel management system analyzes planning data for each flight, including weather, wind, traffic on the route, assigned routes and payload. Then, it forecasts fuel consumption as accurately as possible so pilots can decide how much fuel to take on board.
Flying intelligently
SWISS pilots know many ways to save fuel. For example, they don't fly at maximum airspeed on European flights during the cruise phase of flight. And wherever noise regulations allow, they accelerate on departure after reaching an altitude of 1,500 feet above ground level, instead of 3,000. They can then retract the takeoff flaps sooner, which lowers air resistance and reduces fuel burn.
Pilots also have a sophisticated flight management system on board. It enables them to optimally adjust altitude and airspeed depending on the current conditions, such as wind, temperature and aircraft weight.
During a long-haul flight, another system recalculates the aircraft's centre of gravity and redistributes the remaining fuel among its fuel tanks to maintain an optimum flight attitude. This lowers air resistance and further reduces fuel consumption.
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By eliminating just one kilogram of surplus weight on every aircraft, SWISS can save up to 10 metric tonnes of fuel and lower CO2 emissions by 31 metric tons per year. That's why SWISS is constantly developing new ways to reduce mobile equipment weight without compromising on customer service. Through these efforts, SWISS has, for example, trimmed the catering weight on long-haul flights by an average of 500 kilograms in recent years.
