Efforts to reduce fuel burn and minimise noise by arriving aircraft has helped lift Oman Air to the top of Heathrow’s latest ‘Fly Quiet and Green’ league table.
British Airways’ short haul fleet jumped to second place due to improved punctuality benefiting both local communities and passengers alike, the London hub claimed.
SAS moved up three places to third position in the latest table due to the introduction of A320neos to its fleet.
Icelandair was the most improved airline, jumping 40 places to take 11th place as it worked to improve its use of ‘Continuous Decent Approach’ which helps reduce noise while also sticking more closely to designated flight paths.
The latest league table covers the top 50 busiest airlines at Heathrow on seven noise and emission metrics from October to December 2018.
The previous quarter saw Oman Air rise 26 places after phasing out older aircraft and replacing them with Boeing 787 Dreamliners.
The latest results show that airlines have a “clear commitment” to modernising their fleets and working to adopt techniques which will help to reduce the airport’s impact on local communities, according to Heathrow.
The airport also encourages new technology through environmental pricing incentives, which reduce landing charges for airlines operating their greenest and quietest aircraft.
The top environmental performers such as Dreamliners and Airbus A350s now make up more than a tenth of aircraft at Heathrow.
Sustainability director Matt Gorman said: “As we prepare to expand our airport, we’re working with airlines to encourage fierce competition for the top spot of the ‘Fly Quiet and Green’ league table and it’s brilliant to see more airlines vying for pole position.
“As airlines modernise their fleets, we’ll also be engaging with local communities to modernise the UK’s airspace, enabling aircraft to more efficiently use the skies around us, increasing punctuality whilst reducing emissions and noise in future.”
Oman Air CEO Abdul Aziz Al Raisi said:“We follow Heathrow’s ‘Quiet and Green’ league table very closely and it is indeed gratifying to see Oman Air rank first for the fourth quarter of 2018.
“Moving to the quieter, more efficient Boeing 787 Dreamliner has had a positive impact and shows our commitment to operating the most environmentally friendly aircraft across our growing international network.”