Etihad Airways A330-200. By Rob Finlayson

An Etihad Airways Airbus A330-200 has performed the first Required Navigation Performance – Authorization Required (RNP-AR) approach to Abu Dhabi Airport (AUH), marking the beginning of full RNP-AR implementation throughout AUH’s airspace.

The approach was done using RNP-AR procedures developed by Quovadis, an Airbus subsidiary. The continuous descent operations and optimized trajectories can reduce fuel consumption by up to 200 kilograms and reduce CO2 emissions by at least 20,000 tonnes per year, Airbus said.

Speaking at a media briefing Thursday in Toulouse, France, Airbus EVP-strategy and future programs Christian Scherer said optimized air traffic management was the low-hanging fruit that could achieve 9% fuel burn savings.

“There could be $ 135 billion net savings every year with an optimized ATM system,” he said.