CHARLOTTE — A technology developed by NASA has saved more than 1 million gallons of jet fuel at Charlotte Douglas International Airport, which is a major milestone for the agency’s ongoing demonstration.
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— NASA (@NASA) May 27, 2021
An ongoing demo of NASA-developed air traffic technology at Charlotte-Douglas International Airport has saved over 1 million gallons of jet fuel by getting planes from the gate to sky seamlessly: https://t.co/ptE9C98OOf pic.twitter.com/C8X73UqCxU
Airspace Technology Demonstration-2 has also saved passengers about $4 million in time, reduced flight delays by more than 800 hours and saved $1.2 million in flight-crew costs, NASA stated.
In 2017, NASA started testing a new way to schedule air traffic at the Charlotte airport.
[PAST COVERAGE: Charlotte airport teams with NASA to reduce delays]
The technology is meant to get an airliner from the gate to cruising altitude without stopping.
“These are impressive numbers, but still only a drop in the bucket of what’s possible in the future as this technology is embraced by the aviation community and put in practice at airports around the nation,” said Shawn Engelland, ATD project manager.
In addition to the cost-saving improvements, ATD has prevented the release of 21.4 million pounds of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, which is the equivalent of planting about 159,000 trees in an urban environment.
The plan is to roll out the technology to 27 major airports in the coming years.
(WATCH: Charlotte airport teams with NASA to reduce delays)
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