Evaluating Energy-Saving Arrivals of Wide-Body Passenger Aircraft via Flight-Simulator Experiments

Abstract

This study evaluates energy-saving arrival operations based on a series of experiments using B777-200 and B787-8 full-flight simulators. A total of 50 trials were carried out to simulate arrivals at two major international airports located at the metroplex area in Japan: the Tokyo and Kansai International Airports. This paper proposes applying fixed-flight path-angle descent—in which the aircraft descends continuously, following a defined vertical path—as a potential solution for both arrival-time management and fuel-efficiency enhancement. The proposed type of descent improves the predictability of the arrival aircraft trajectory on the ground, and therefore, supports the air traffic controllers’ task of maintaining safe separations within the air traffic flows in both en route and terminal areas. The operational feasibility of the proposed method under nominal and nonnominal situations is studied, considering the pilots’ operation of the flight management system, and the operators’ benefits—through fuel reduction—are discussed and compared with conventional arrival operations. The obtained results show that the fixed-flight path-angle descent is operationally feasible for both B777-200 and B787-8 aircraft, and that by applying speed control during the descent, it has a significant potential as an operational approach to adjust arrival delay while minimizing fuel consumption.