A team of scientists from the Electronic Systems Engineering Department of the University of Malta (UoM) and Malta-based QuAreo are developing a system that will reduce fuel burn during aircraft take-offs and landings.

The team says uncontrolled manoeuvres during take-off and landing burn a lot of fuel, causing high carbon emissions, and the new system is expected to address this. UoM engineer Kenneth Chircop said that the team is in the process of developing a system that can be commercially viable immediately and that the benefits will be realised within one or two years, when the system will be tested for implementation.

The total budget for the 24-month project under the EU 7th Framework Programme is €151,093, of which €138,948 is funded by Malta Council for Science and Technology (MCST). MCST vice-chairman and CEO Nicholas Sammut was quoted by Malta Independent Online as saying that the Clean-Flight system is one of 40 projects MCST is supporting through its research and innovation fund.

The new system is being developed for the A320 and B737 narrow-bodied aircraft, which are the main aircraft in Maltese airspace, respectively consuming about 1.8t and 0.4t of fuel and producing roughly 5.7t and 1.2t of CO2 emissions each year. It is estimated that complete adoption of the system will save about 100kg of fuel, equating to about 2,900t of fuel savings a year, while CO2 emissions will be reduced to roughly 9,193t per annum. According to an estimate the total fuel cost saving will be about $2.76m per year.

Parameters such as aircraft type and mass, weather conditions, route constraints and air traffic control constraints are being considered in the proposed solution. The new tools can be installed onto a pilot’s laptop or used by air traffic controllers, who may in turn request that pilots perform certain practices during take-off and landing.