(Boursier.com) — Thales , Air France, DSNA, ONERA, Atmosphere, CGX and Cerfacs have joined forces as part of the Octavie project, supported by the Occitanie region to the tune of more than 700,000 euros, to experiment in real conditions with the Green Flag concept. The partners are thus committed to reducing the environmental impact of commercial aviation.
This concept, developed by Thales, DSNA and Air France as part of the Provert study, consists of an air traffic control authority classifying certain airspaces as Green Flag during periods of moderate traffic. In coordination with air traffic control, pilots using these airspaces can fully exploit eco-piloting practices, consisting of optimizing flight parameters (route, altitude, speed) to limit fuel consumption, and therefore emissions, as much as possible. of greenhouse gases. The concept is based on the use of collaborative digital tools facilitating interactions between pilots and controllers and ensuring the highest level of flight safety.
After laboratory tests of prototype technical solutions, the Octavie project entered the experimentation phase in real conditions on two Air France flights between Paris-Orly and Toulouse-Blagnac in March 2022. These flights demonstrated the relevance of the Green concept Flag with an effective reduction of CO2 emissions while maintaining optimal altitudes and geographical distances. The facilitated exchange of information during flights has enabled air traffic controllers to keep aircraft cruising for longer and crews to better prepare their continuous descent approaches to reduce engine consumption.
The The results of this first in-flight experiment are promising. They need to be consolidated in order to integrate Green Flag in a sustainable and large-scale way into the procedures of air traffic controllersincluding in a context of heavy traffic.
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