Polar Routes Washington Chicago Los Angeles Washington Chicago
- Slides: 8
Polar Routes Washington Chicago Los Angeles Washington Chicago San Francisco New York Conventional Routes Anchorage London Los Angeles New York San Francisco Polar Routes London Frankfurt Khabarovsk Moscow Tokyo Tura Karachi Delhi Moscow Tokyo Beijing Singapore Karachi Singapore Delhi
History of Polar Operations Between Europe and Asia Washington Chicago Los Angeles New York San Francisco Anchorage • Europe Asia – 1957: SAS DC-6 B; CPHANC-NRT – 1960 s-1980 s: Anchorage becomes major transit airport – 1983: Finnair DC-10; HEL-NRT nonstop via Bering Strait London Frankfurt Moscow Tokyo Beijing Karachi Singapore Delhi – Today: More than 300 flights/week from Europe to Asia via Russian interior
Polar Routes 1 - 4: History Washington Chicago Los Angeles New York San Francisco – Russia began opening its airspace in the 1990’s – RFE routes expanded north and west of NOPAC – Polar 1 - 4 conceived 1993 • First trial flight July 1998 London Frankfurt Moscow Tokyo Beijing Karachi Singapore Delhi – Formal opening Feb. 1, 2001 – ETOPS flight March 1, 2001 – Today: More than 20 passenger flights/week from US to Asia via Polar Routes
Polar Route Advantages • Opens new nonstop routes – More choices – Minimize trip times, avoid hubs • More efficient operations – – Lower fuel burns Shorter trip times Increased payload potential No intermediate fuel stop
Polar Route Use Examples Time/Fuel Savings: Chicago-Beijing Block Fuel, lb (000 s) 200 Fuel Savings: -7300 lb (-3300 kg) G 490 195 Beijing B 480 G 491 G 495 G 494 A 218 G 212 190 Chicago G 491 G 495 • 777 -200 ER • 301 Passengers • 85% Winter Winds B 480 A 218 G 212 Savings: • up to 30 minutes flight time AND • over 7, 000 lb (3. 2 tonnes) of fuel; or 5, 000 lb (2. 5 tonnes) increased cargo capacity
Polar Route Opportunities Open New Markets: New York - Hong Kong Payload, lb (000 s) 70 301 Passengers 60 275 G 490 Hong Kong B 480 G 491 G 495 254 G 494 50 215 A 218 G 212 R 222 New York 40 B 480 G 491 G 490 G 495 A 218 G 212 R 222 • 777 -200 ER • 301 Passengers • 85% Winter Winds Nonstop service now practical: • Required still air range reduced over 450 nm • Full passenger loads plus cargo • Trip times substantially reduced
Comparison of Polar Routes & Conventional Tracks
Current Cross-Polar City Pairs Continental Northwest United Hong Kong Beijing Shanghai Newark/ New York Detroit Chicago
