The largest Russian airline, Aeroflot, has begun implementing new aircraft boarding schemes aimed at saving fuel, as reported by The Moscow Times.
Aeroflot developed the scheme jointly with the national air navigation service provider. Work on optimizing air traffic has been ongoing since July 2023. The new boarding method has been in use in the Moscow airspace since March 21.
In this way, aircraft save up to five minutes of flight time, which provides a “significant economic effect,” Aeroflot stated. By the end of the year, fuel savings will amount to over 18.6 thousand tons for Aeroflot itself, as well as up to 7.4 thousand tons for the Rossiya Airline and 5.6 thousand tons for the low-cost carrier Pobeda, which are part of the carrier group.
The Russian Federal Air Transport Agency confirmed that the scheme reduces flight operation costs. The savings from the new scheme will be approximately 3 billion rubles by the end of the year. In 2023, spending on it increased by 31.5% to 219.2 billion rubles.
As reported, Russia increased fuel imports from Belarus after attacks on oil refineries. Moreover, fearing a fuel shortage in the domestic market, Russia reinstated a ban on gasoline exports starting March 1, 2024.
