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New Delhi: Fuel inflation has been bearing heavily on the airline companies, and India’s largest airline, IndiGo, has begun testing a new AI-based system, which may help lower fuel burnout in flight. The airline started with trial flights on the technology on its Airbus fleet on June 25.
Airlines, especially, spend a lot on their fuel costs, and sometimes it is a significant proportion of their expenses. As the cost of aviation fuel continues to be high, airlines are seeking out more innovative solutions to save money without compromising on the weight of the passengers or safety.
The new AI-powered system, called OptiClimb, focuses on the climb phase of a flight. This is the short time between take-off and the aircraft reaches its operating altitude. Engines operate at extremely high-power during this phase with the greatest amount of fuel use. It’s similar to operating a car with the gas pedal pushed to the floor, experts said.
The traditional flight path for pilots to climb allows for standard climb procedures. But the OptiClimb system utilizes artificial intelligence and on-the-fly flight analytics to recommend the most fuel-efficient climb path. Rather than running at a constant speed, the aircraft is free to respond to the given conditions and adjust a climb profile to meet the needs whenever the conditions indicate.
IndiGo is reported to be achieving a possible fuel saving of 60 to 65 kgs of fuel on take-off with the new system. This may be a minor expense per ride, but could add up considerably on the airline’s vast services of airports, with over 2,000 flights operating daily. This would also go towards more environmentally friendly operations since the amount of fuel being used is reduced, allowing for a decrease in the amount of carbon emissions.
The trial was a continuation of the use of high technology in aviation. In today’s airline landscape, where sustainable growth, cost, and efficiency reduction are paramount considerations, artificial intelligence and data-based tools have become more and more popular as a way to achieve these goals. IndiGo has already been focusing efforts towards improving fuel efficiency for several years, and this latest solution is part of their broader fuel efficiency operations optimization.
The airline will closely observe the outcome of the test and only after decide on introducing the technology on its Airbus fleet. If it works well, it can serve as a model for other airlines wishing to achieve a balance between increasing fuel prices and environmental obligations. With now an important concern being the high costs of fuel for the aviation industry, the potential of AI to help facilitate flights is becoming all the more significant, all while keeping the cost down.
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