Smart choices from the cockpit

The Fuel Efficiency Team has an important task: to explore how we can fly more efficiently and sustainably. Pilot Sander joined the team two years ago, eager to contribute to greener aviation. 'By implementing simple measures in the cockpit, we save thousands of kilos of kerosene each year,' he explains.

Sander has been a pilot at KLM for a quarter of a century and joined the Fuel Efficiency Team in 2023. 'Nothing beats flying, but as an organisation, we also have a responsibility,' he says.

Small adjustments, big effect

The Fuel Efficiency Team was set up 10 years ago by a KLM captain who felt there was an important role for pilots in making aviation more sustainable. 'We investigate what practical measures we can take in the cockpit to use less fuel and produce less noise and emissions. For example, by optimising flight paths. By cutting just two minutes off a flight, you can save lots of kerosene.'

Saving fuel

The Fuel Efficiency Team uses software that allows pilots to see how they can make these savings. Sander explains: 'If, for example, a shortcut is often taken somewhere, we feed this information back to KLM so that the route can be adjusted if possible. We’ve also developed a dashboard on which pilots can view flight data of the same route from previous months. This allows them to see whether they can cut corners somewhere, as well as being able to check, for example, how much fuel colleagues have taken in similar weather conditions.'

Another way to fly more economically is to look critically at alternate airports. 'Those are included in every flight plan in case an aircraft can’t land. But in the United States, these are sometimes an hour and a half's flight away. We look for suitable alternatives that are closer.'

Harmful stripes

The Fuel Efficiency Team deals with a variety of topics: from the new European legislation on CO2 emissions to the amount of ultrafine dust on and around the airport. Another hot topic is the potentially harmful effect of aircraft stripes in the air. 'Recent scientific research suggests that these are probably worse for the environment than the emissions themselves. The stripes form a kind of "screen" that keeps heat from the sun inside the atmosphere, and as a result, they may contribute to global warming. If this is indeed the case, we want to start investigating in which area these stripes are created. Then pilots and flight planners can take this into account - for example, by flying at lower or higher altitudes.'

Flying on frying fat

Another hot topic in aviation is SAF, a more sustainable alternative to fossil fuel. SAF burns cleaner, and its CO2 impact is at least 65 percent lower,' says Sander. 'Some of our SAF is produced at a plant in Los Angeles, where they create synthetic fuel from used frying oil. It's a great solution, but it's also quite expensive. It's our responsibility to properly inform pilots, so they understand the cost of SAF and use it efficiently.'

The Fuel Efficiency Team also points out to colleagues the negative consequences of flying fast. 'If there is a tailwind, we still want a flight to arrive at the scheduled time, not half an hour earlier. Flying slowly saves a lot of fuel. We’ve mapped the optimum speed of a number of aircraft. Above that, you gain relatively little time, but consume a lot more kerosine.'

All noses in the same direction

The Fuel Efficiency Team shares all this valuable information with other pilots, including through a monthly newsletter. 'This way, we hope to create awareness among all our colleagues,' says Sander. The goodwill within the organisation is certainly there, he has no doubt about that. 'Over the past two years, I’ve been in contact with people throughout the company: from technicians in the hangar to baggage loaders on the apron. Every one of them is open to sustainability and happy to do their bit.' His ultimate wish? 'I hope that, in the future, sustainability will be prioritised just as highly as safety.'