GE Digital Aviation Sustainability Efforts

Dubai Air Show GE Digital announced that long-time GE customer Emirates has contracted for two new flight data solutions to intensify progress in its sustainability programs. The Dubai-based airline will be implementing GE Digital’s Fuel Insight product and FlightPulse® Pre-Flight module to help reduce fuel costs and CO₂emissions. Emirates is also looking to use these solutions to drive sustainability adoption across its fleet and flight operations.

Leveraging expertise in flight data, Aviation Software solutions from GE Digital work together to address key areas of airline operations that impact the ability to achieve peak environmental efficiency – from fuel usage and carbon emissions, to airspace efficiency, predictive maintenance, records digitization, and pilot insight.

“Emirates recognizes that environmental responsibility is core to our long-term business success,” said Capt. Hassan AlHammadi, Emirates’ Divisional Senior VP – Flight Operations. “Operating modern and fuel efficient aircraft has been central to our business model since the airline’s inception. We are fully engaged in an ongoing investment to reducing our environmental impact and these solutions will help us to achieve our goals. We want to empower our pilots with state-of-the-art tools and technology to help them operate flights in a safe and efficient way.”

Fuel Insight is a fuel consumption and emissions reduction solution that works by understanding real data from the aircraft and airline. This software utilizes GE Digital’s powerful aviation data and analytics platform to merge flight data with flight plans and uncover valuable insight to help increase aircraft fuel efficiency and reduce waste. Fuel Insight gives operators actionable intelligence at multiple levels allowing analysts to drill down from macro trends to understand issues on a per-flight level.

Designed by pilots, for pilots, FlightPulse provides access to data. The Preflight module provides aggregated data from across the operation for more informed fuel decisions and departure briefings. The Postflight module, which Emirates already has in use with their pilots, provides secure access to data from a pilot’s individual flight history, allowing them to analyze their own operation of the aircraft in relation to their peers and self-discover areas to optimize operations and efficiency. In just one year using FlightPulse, one global airline was able to avoid 5.71M kg carbon emissions which is equal to taking 1,241 passenger cars off the road¹.

As part of the airline’s FlightPulse implementation, Emirates will be the first GE Digital customer to adopt the software’s new animation capabilities designed to provide pilots with operational review of their flights with high-fidelity real-world data-driven displays. This new module to FlightPulse will be powered by Applied Informatics and Research Inc.’s FAS software system.

“At GE Digital, we feel a responsibility to make our world better for future generations, and that includes ensuring that our customers are empowered to reduce the impact of their technology and environmental footprint within their operations,” said Andrew Coleman, General Manager of GE Digital’s Aviation Software business. “Sustainability is core to the future of the aviation industry, net zero by 2050 is the target, and while new technologies are the key to achieving that in the long term, we cannot afford to wait until then. We have the data and solutions that can help the industry make strides toward net zero today, by leveraging data that already exists. We are excited to see this crucial topic gain the attention it deserves. Our innovative technology is ready to address its challenges as we continue to invent the future of flight.”