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Koji Matsunami
747 captain |
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In early 1990, flight-crew members set up a fuel-efficiency committee to explore ways of flying in an eco-friendly fashion. This committee has since been reorganized as Operations Division Team –6%. We meet every two months and discuss how we can avoid using excess fuel and communicate the results of these discussions to our fellow flight crews.
The efforts of Operations Division Team –6% are seen in various ways. Auxiliary engines provide electricity for onboard air-conditioning and lighting while the aircraft is on the ground with the main engines disengaged. Since the auxiliary engines consume between 600 and 700 liters of fuel per hour, however, we try not to start up these engines until shortly before takeoff and rely on ground services for electricity and air-conditioning. We also attempt to conserve as much fuel as possible during ascent and recommend efficient cruising speeds to our fellow flight crews. For example, if we’re flying with a strong tailwind, we can reduce speed and still reach the destination on schedule, which means we can fly in an eco-friendly manner while maintaining punctuality.
Team members discuss various measures, such as taxiing to the arrival gate on three rather than four engines and making aircraft lighter by offloading unnecessary personal effects, even if this reduces the overall weight by just a couple of kilos. |
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I’ve had many opportunities to discuss energy conservation at a variety of venues, including examples of how manufacturers of household electrical appliances and cars devise very subtle measures for saving energy. Before the birth of the hybrid car, which cut fuel consumption by as much as 40%, automakers were working on reducing vehicle-body weights in units of just 50 to 100 grams so as to improve fuel efficiency.
Aircraft design will probably follow a similar course in the future. When all unnecessary elements have been removed from the plane and energy-saving efforts seem to have come as far as they can go, new technologies that radically reduce energy consumption are certain to arise. That has been the pattern of equipment improvement and energy-conservation technologies in the past. But such breakthroughs cannot be achieved without a constant, low-profile dedication to detail. Once aircraft makers hear how JAL is using its ingenuity to reduce weight by even a couple of kilos on every plane, positive changes in aircraft design could well result.
As one possible service option, I believe it’s worth recognizing that reaching the destination as quickly as possible is not the sole mission of air transport. Indeed, if it becomes possible to fly the aircraft at somewhat lower speeds — and thereby conserve fuel — there’s a chance that we could see the birth of new energy-conservation initiatives. |
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Itaru Yasui
Born in Tokyo in 1945, Yasui is the vice rector of the United Nations University in Tokyo, a role he assumed in 2003 following positions as professor of the Institute of Industrial Science and head of the Center for Collaborative Research, both at the University of Tokyo. His specialties are inorganic chemistry, environmental science and research collaboration between industry and academia. He makes many broad-based proposals touching on a variety of environmental issues on his website and is the author of numerous books. |
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