Heathrow names SAS as the best airline at its latest Fly Quiet and Green league table

• Heathrow reveals the airport’s latest Fly Quiet and Green league table showing airlines are swapping in newer jets and improving how they fly to decrease noise and emissions
• SAS named best airline based on their performance this quarter – assisted by the introduction of A320neos, better track-keeping and continuous descent approaches
• Oman Air improves score from last quarter landing second place thanks to the introduction of 787 Dreamliners that use 25% less fuel per passenger compared with aircraft of a similar size and is 10% more fuel efficient than the “best of its competition”
• Heathrow reviewing plans to incentivise sustainable fuel

LONDON, UK, 2019-Nov-21 — /Travel PR News/ — Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS) has been named the best airline based on noise and emissions performance at Heathrow, following the introduction of more modern and fuel-efficient aircraft.

The latest “Fly Quiet and Green” league table1, shows airlines are continuing to invest in the modernisation of their fleets and operational performance.

SAS has taken the top spot for the second time this year by introducing more A320neo’s – the market’s most modern and fuel-efficient short-haul aircraft – which now accounts for 80% of all of the airline’s movements at Heathrow. A320neo’s are 15% more fuel efficient than today’s comparable models and less noisy – the 85 decibel maximum noise-level contour of a starting A320neo is around 50 per cent lower than that of the current A320. Turning the noise down further, SAS has also improved its track keeping – sticking to designated flight paths more closely to give communities more predictable respite – and are using quieter approaching techniques when descending into the UK’s hub airport.

Oman Air has moved up the table from 7th place last quarter to 2nd place this quarter thanks to a solid operational performance. The airline’s improved score has also been assisted by the introduction of Dreamliners that use 25% less fuel per passenger compared with aircraft of a similar size and are 10% more fuel efficient than the “best of its competition”.

A notable mention goes to Iberia who have doubled the amount of A320neos being used at Heathrow (up from 6% to 13%). Heathrow will now work closely with the airline to ensure it improves its track keeping and descent procedures into West London.

Welcoming the news, Lars Andersen Resare, Head of Sustainability at SAS, said:

“SAS wants to be at the forefront of the journey towards sustainable aviation, and it is encouraging that we are recognised as the most environmentally friendly airline out of Heathrow Airport. SAS is committed to reducing its emissions by 25 percent in 2030 and continuously developing more sustainable products and services across the business. By introducing new Airbus neos to our fleet, we have been able to reduce emissions and noise levels further than ever before.”

Matt Gorman, Heathrow’s Director of Sustainability said:

“Heathrow is determined to become a world leader in incentivising the next generation of sustainable aircraft that are good for the environment and our local communities. We’re working towards this goal by reducing airport charges for airlines using greener aircraft, publishing operational performance results every quarter and reviewing airport charges to incentivise sustainable fuel uptake.

“We continue to be impressed with airlines – particularly SAS – and their commitment to reducing noise and emissions, but we know more must be done. That’s why we will continue to work with our partners and leverage our scale to drive further positive changes in the industry.”

As a leading global hub, Heathrow attracts the newest, quietest and cleanest planes in airline fleets today. The airport uses landing charges to provide further incentives – charging less for quieter, less polluting aircraft. As a result, less than 0.1% of movements at Heathrow are operated by aircraft in the highest international category for noise and we have more operations by the newest and most efficient aircraft – like the A320neo – than any other major European airport.

To help accelerate the arrival of the next generation of clean and quiet aircraft, Heathrow will continue to use its influence to encourage the development and deployment of lower carbon aircraft and fuel. Heathrow has also announced that the first electric aircraft to operate a commercially-viable flight at the airport will have a year’s free landing charges, worth up to £1 million. Furthermore, environmental performance will be a key consideration in the strategy for allocating slots when the airport expands.

NOTES TO EDITORS:

Fly Quiet and Green league table

1 The Fly Quiet and Green league table ranks the top 50 busiest airlines at Heathrow on seven noise and emission metrics from July to September 2019

The latest Fly Quiet and Green results are attached as a PDF on this page.

Each quarter, Heathrow publishes this league table showing a red/amber/green rating for seven noise and emissions criteria. In doing so, Heathrow not only aims to recognise good performance but ensures our noise and emissions experts are able to provide airlines with regular feedback and identify specific areas to be targeted for improvement. Heathrow will engage with airlines showing red results in the latest league table to improve their rating.

Information on the Fly Quiet and Green programme, along with the current table and previous rankings can be found here: http://www.heathrowflyquietandgreen.com/

Contact:
Press Office
0208 745 7224

Source: Heathrow Airport

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