Europe By EasyJet: Upgrades To The A320 Fleet With Exciting Fuel-Saving Changes.

Written by: The Proficient Airman, Mubashar Yasin. 

By the end of 2023, EasyJet is set to upgrade their entire A320 fleet with a fuel-saving Descent Performance Optimisation (DPO) enhancement and a Continuous Descent Approach (CDA) system.

DPO and CDA works by enabling aircrafts to descent from cruise altitude by using only idle engine thrust. In addition to this, it enhances the on-board flight management system (FMS) for an efficient descent by enabling the plane to stay in the cruise-phase longer. In other words, the plane does not initiate the descent too early. This effectively removes or at least drastically reduces the ‘level-off’ state where the plane is flying horizontally and relies on thrust to fly straight, level flight prior to final approach.

EasyJet will save an astonishing 98,000 kg fuel per year per aircraft across its European network. This will in turn reduce carbon dioxide emissions by an excess of 311 tonnes per year per aircraft. EasyJet roadmap to net-zero emission by 2050 is heading in the right direction at least in the short term by investing millions in initiatives like this to reduce emissions.

Based on the EasyJet website in the last 20 years the airline has reduced carbon emissions per passenger, per kilometre by one-third through renewing their fleet and operating efficiently alone.

The implementation of the DPO software is yet another exciting prospect for EasyJet following the delivery of their first A320neo earlier this year. The new A320neo is equipped with the latest Satellite Landing system (SLS) technology which like the DPO software aims to improve efficiency and reduce fuel usage.

However, EasyJet believes more is to be done by governments and stakeholders to help them reach their net-zero target. One way this can be done is by modernising the airspace by implementing an initiative called ‘The Single European Sky’.

On the next news blog, I will explain in detail what exactly ‘The Single European Sky’ details and why airlines like EasyJet argue a need for this.