EasyJet has invested in FANS-C a navigation software system, which will enable the low-cost airline’s dealing with ATC (air traffic control) airspace disruptions and help with its on-time performance.
EasyJet has now completed the retrofit of FANS-C on 54 of its A320 and A321 neo family aircraft, with new planes rolling off Airbus’ Final Assembly Line coming with this state-of-the-art technology equipped as standard.
FANS-C, which is essentially a traffic management software, enables pilots and air traffic controllers to collaborate more seamlessly by enhancing their speed of communication, optimising trajectories in-flight and making aircraft speeds easier to manage during all phases of the flight.
With European airspace becoming increasingly congested, delays have become commonplace. FANS-C addresses this by broadcasting precise aircraft trajectories to ATC in a flexible, reliable, and secure manner, enhancing predictability, reducing holding patterns, accelerating clearances, and enabling more on-time landings.
Speaking on the milestone, David Morgan, Chief Operating Officer at easyJet, said: “Technologies like FANS-C are not only essential for the modernisation of airspace, they will be critical in helping deliver meaningful reductions in fuel, carbon emissions and noise pollution.
“To maximise the potential of these technologies, it’s critical that airspace reform is finally delivered, and this means more direct routes to help reduce congestion and delays. The UK government has taken positive steps to redesign UK airspace – we now need those plans delivered swiftly here and across Europe so we can properly harness these technologies and capitalise on the environmental benefits they will deliver.”
To date, since its implementation in 2019, FANS-C has saved easyJet 1052 tonnes of CO2e and 334 tonnes of fuel realised over Eurocontrol’s Maastricht Upper Area Control (MUAC) region, with more savings expected as other ANSPs upgrade their ATC ground control systems – which will be mandatory by 2028 in the EU.
Since launching its roadmap to reduce and decarbonise its environmental impact in 2022, the airline continues to invest in various operational efficiencies to help lower its impact both in the air and on the ground.
