editorial/ cover story - Air World

AVIATION NEWS
points, with reciprocal access to
tier status benefits including endto-end
recognition of customers,
lounge access, priority check-in
and boarding as well as other
exclusive services.
“The time was right for
developing a long term, future
forward partnership with Qantas,
the iconic Australian airline,”
said Tim Clark, President of
Emirates. “Since our first flights
began in 1996, Australia has long
been a popular destination for
Emirates leisure and business
travellers, making it one of the
top three destinations in our
network.” “By establishing this
partnership we are providing our
passengers with additional
connectivity in Australia and the
region and the ability to utilise
enhanced frequent flyer benefits
and have access to premium
lounges for an exceptional travel
experience,” he added.
Emirates and Qantas will work
together to ensure a seamless
customer experience, including
mutual lounge access, shared use
of Emirates’ unique dedicated
A380 facility slated to open in
early 2013 in Dubai, coordinated
baggage allowances and a
chauffeur service for premium
customers.
Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce
said the partnership would
deliver unprecedented benefits to
Qantas customers and mark a
decisive step forward in the
Group’s strategy. “Emirates is the
ideal partner for Qantas,” Mr
Joyce said. “It has a wonderful
brand, a modern fleet, an
uncompromising approach to
quality and it flies to the A list of
international destinations.
“As the world’s biggest
international airline, with a
network that perfectly
complements our own, Emirates
will help us give our customers
across Australia a dramatically
expanded range of travel options.
“Together with Emirates, Qantas
will provide a unique ‘one stop’
hub service, as well as a deeply
integrated frequent flyer and
customer proposition.
“The partnership delivers on all
four pillars of the Qantas Group’s
international strategy: it will see
us fly to the global gateway city
of Dubai, provide some of the
world’s best travel experiences
through both Qantas and
Emirates, improve our position in
Asia through better timed flights
and, crucially, help build a strong
Qantas International business for
the long term, he added.”
The airlines will submit
applications for authorisation to
the Australian Competition and
Consumer Commission (ACCC)
and other relevant regulatory
authorities, in order to begin
commercial planning. Subject to
regulatory approvals, it is
anticipated that the partnership
arrangements will take effect in
April 2013.
Airbus unveils
its 2050 vision
for ‘Smarter
Skies’
A future with more flights, fewer
emissions and quicker passenger
journey times
Global aircraft manufacturer
Airbus releases the latest
instalment of the Future by
Airbus, its vision for sustainable
aviation in 2050 and beyond. For
the first time the vision looks
beyond aircraft design to how the
aircraft is operated both on the
ground and in the air in order to
meet the expected growth in air
travel in a sustainable way.
Charles Champion, Executive
Vice President Engineering at
Airbus, says: “Our engineers are
continuously encouraged to think
widely and come up with
`disruptive’ ideas which will
assist our industry in meeting the
2050 targets we have signed up
to. These and the other tough
environmental targets will only
be met by a combination of
investment in smarter aircraft
design and optimising the
environment in which the aircraft
operates. That is why our latest
Future by Airbus Smarter Skies
concepts focus on not just what
we fly but, how we may fly in
2050 and beyond.”
Already today, if the Air Traffic
Management (ATM) system and
technology on board the aircraft
were optimised, Airbus research
based on recent research suggests
that flights in Europe and the US
could on average be around 13
minutes shorter, and flights in
other parts of the world could be
shorter too. Assuming around 30
million flights per year, this
would save around 9 million
tonnes of excess fuel annually,
which equates to over 28 million
tonnes of avoidable CO2
emissions and a saving of 5
million hours of excess flight
time. Add to this new aircraft
design, alternative energy
sources and new ways of flying
and you could see even more
significant improvements.
The Future by Airbus
concentrates on just that and the
Smarter Skies vision consists of
five concepts which could be
implemented across all the stages
of an aircraft’s operation to
reduce waste in the system (waste
in time, waste in fuel, reduction
of CO2). These are:
Aircraft take-off in continuous
‘eco-climb’
• Aircraft launched through
assisted take-offs using
renewably powered, propelled
acceleration, allowing steeper
climb from airports to minimise
AIR WORLD October 2012-39