easyJet Becomes First Partner for Inmarsat and ESA’s Iris Program for Route Optimization

easyJet has partnered with Inmarsat and the European Space Agency (ESA) as the first airline for Iris program, which will provide next generation technology to ATC, allowing airlines to reduce carbon emissions through cutting-edge route optimization.

easyJet becomes First Airline Partner for Iris, a Program led by Inmarsat in Collaboration with the European Space Agency to Reduce Carbon Emissions Through Route Optimization - Courtesy easyJet

On Tuesday (June 21, 2022), easyJet announced that they have become the first airline partner for the ground breaking Iris program, a collaboration between Inmarsat and the European Space Agency (ESA). Iris will provide the technology to supply the communication capacity to Air Traffic Control (ATC) to help airlines reduce carbon emissions through cutting-edge route optimization. The evaluation will take place on 11 newly delivered Airbus A320 neos, flying commercially from November 2022. The hope is that the Iris program will enable systems to minimize flight delays, while saving fuel and reducing the environmental impact of air travel.

In today’s announcment, easyJet’s Director of Airport Operations & Navigation, Hugh McConnellogue, said,

“Iris is paving the way for more efficient air traffic management, which is a crucial step forward for the aviation industry. The Iris programme brings multiple benefits, from helping us to achieve our environmental goals by further reducing our carbon emissions from flying, to providing a better experience for our passengers. We’re excited to be leading in this space, setting the standard for the aviation industry and hope to see more airlines follow suit.”

The Iris program is led by Inmarsat, the leader in global satellite communications in collaboration with ESA and Airbus. Iris is a key component in the modernization and digitalization of the aviation industry, and supports the Single European Sky’s air traffic management research SESAR masterplan for next generation traffic management.

easyJet recently announced an interim carbon reduction target of 35 percent by FY 2035 on a FY 2020 baseline as part of their ‘Race to Zero’ to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. The company has also partnered with Airbus, GKN Aerospace, Cranfield Aerospace Solutions and Wright Electric, in support of technologies which will ultimately deliver zero carbon emission flying. In the interim, easyJet is completely focused on reducing carbon emissions through existing and emerging technologies and improvements in operational efficiency. Iris will complement existing initiatives such as adjusting single-engine taxiing on arrival and departure and using advanced weather information and flight efficiency partnerships with Airbus, Collins Aerospace, MATS and Eurocontrol.

Source: easyJet / Digital News Agency