Big Data Equals Big Opportunities to Save Fuel

Airlines continue to feel pressure to reduce fuel consumption. They have implemented standard practices and most have seen decent results. Nonetheless, carriers the world over are leaving tens-of-millions of dollars of potential fuel savings on the table. The time is ripe for them to reach for the high-hanging fruit and maximize their profits.

The age of “big data” opens the door to breakthrough opportunities and fuel savings in the 1-3 percent range. But the concept of big data can be daunting for airline executives. Collecting data from hundreds of diverse sources and converting it into actionable information – and effective initiatives – is a task best left to experienced professionals with a proven track record of success.

With its advanced data analytics platform Honeywell Forge Flight Efficiency, Honeywell brings together data from a vast array of sources on and off the aircraft, touching nearly every facet of the air transportation value chain. We use this data to help airlines develop, implement, sustain and measure fuel efficiency initiatives tailored to their specific goals, fleets and routes.

Raw data provided by the carrier is checked, analyzed, aggregated and presented in ways that are easy to interpret so airline decision-maker can make informed choices and recognize how their operating decisions impact fuel use and other imperatives, such as profitability and schedule performance. Honeywell does the hard part, using advanced analytics to unlock an airline’s full potential.

We’re updating our user interface to make it easier than ever to use the Honeywell Forge Flight Efficiency platform. We’re also working to integrate the platform with other Honeywell Forge services, such as Forge Connected Maintenance and Forge Ground Handling, to provide a cross-domain analytic capability that extends across the connected aircraft ecosystem.

Weight, engine utilization and effective fuel planning are the three essential factors affecting fuel consumption. It requires data from many of sources to make decisions impacting these key areas, which is where the concept of big data enters the picture. Applying data analytics gives airlines a unique perspective that lets them move beyond the one-size-fits-all fuel-efficiency initiatives of the past and expand their thinking to include novel ways to save fuel.

Examples include big-impact strategies like using just one engine to taxi, selectively implementing more gradual climbs, using continuous descent techniques, loading the optimum amount of fuel for each segment, performing regular engine maintenance and cleaning, reducing airspeed when possible, ensuring flight crew compliance and reducing weight by washing the aircraft.

Only Honeywell Forge Flight Efficiency has the analytical power to help airlines determine the right elements of a fuel-efficiency initiative that will maximize their profits and create a great passenger experience. More than three dozen of the world’s top airlines are already using the Honeywell Forge Flight Efficiency Platform.