From 2025, Heathrow will use digital twin technology developed by NATS to tackle emissions at the airport. The Demand Capacity Balancer (DCB), ‘digital twin’ already predicts and models operational performance in near real-time at the airport but will soon be used to reduce CO2 emissions.
The DCB is a predictive decision-making tool developed by NATS and Frequentis Orthogon that accurately forecasts demand, capacity, and performance metrics from the day of operations and up to six months in advance.
Rolling out a new series of environmental performance-based features, NATS is supporting Heathrow in understanding the most efficient operating plan to reduce emissions. The press release revealed this these improvements would reduce airborne holding and fuel burn and could result in CO2 savings up to 30,000 tonnes a year.
Kelly Stone, Head of Airport Operations, Heathrow said:
“It is fantastic to see the DCBs use extended to environmental performance. Small incremental steps like this are vital to reduce ‘in the air’ emissions to reach Heathrow’s goal of net zero by 2050. I am grateful for NATS’ ongoing commitment in bringing world first technology to Heathrow helping us be an extraordinary airport, fit for the future.”
Guy Adams, Managing Director of NATS Services, said:
“DCB is a proven success at Heathrow, helping save several millions of pounds a year by reducing delay, so it makes perfect sense to harness that same analytical technology to include environmental performance. No other airport in the world has this capability, and NATS is proud to be supporting Heathrow’s ambition.”
For more on sustainability see:
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