The installation of modern technology reduces time of landing and takeoff of airplanes at Ethiopian airports slashing fuel costs for aircraft operators.
The information obtained from Ethiopian Civil Aviation Authority (ECAA) indicated that due to the new technology and improvement of the capacity of experts the time of landing and takeoff of aircraft has been reduced on average to three minutes and 2.5 minutes respectively.
“Due to the time reduction in the past budget year 277.2 million birr worth of jet fuel was saved,” the information that Capital obtained from ECAA states.
According to the information, in the past during the process of takeoff it had taken 10 minutes, while landing time consumed 15 minutes and when a VIP aircraft comes the time can extend up to 45 minutes on average. This consumes a significant amount of fuel for the aircraft.
The authority said that 90 percent of aircraft that lands or takeoff are Ethiopian Airlines aircrafts.
According to the sector experts, an aircraft consumes a gallon (four liters) of fuel per minute. On the estimation of 350 aircraft landing or take off on a daily basis in the aviation industry in the country, mainly at Bole International Airport, the saving of fuel is very high due to the reduction of the time.
Experts said this makes the cost for airplane operators lower than the past. ECAA stated that it is using the modern communication equipment that boosts its services. The annual report of ECAA added it has been working to improve the capacity of its experts.
The regulatory body in the aviation industry in the country is considered an instrument for the good safety record of the aviation industry for Ethiopia. It was established in 1944 at the same year Ethiopia signed the convention of the International Civil Aviation Organization as one of the very few African nations.