EASYJET ! U2 ! EZY

Today we announced that we will be the first airline to support the development and trial of the innovative new electric green taxiing system (EGTS) in collaboration with Honeywell and Safran.
Due to the high frequency and short sector lengths of easyJet’s operations, the airline’s aircraft consume annually around 4% of total fuel used when taxiing.

Honeywell and Safran are targeting to offer the electric green taxiing system either on new aircraft or as a retrofit solution to in-service aircraft as early as 2016.
The development and trial will help establish whether these savings can be realised and also quantify other benefits. easyJet will also assist in establishing the airline standard operational procedures for aircraft equipped with the system.
easyJet’s aircraft average 20 minutes of taxi time per flight – the equivalent of 3.5 million miles a year. The first operational trials are expected to start in 2013.
Ian Davies, Head of Engineering and Maintenance, easyJet, said, “easyJet is always seeking innovative ways of reducing our environmental footprint as well as our operating costs so this technology is of great interest to us.
“This collaboration with Honeywell and Safran allows us to bring our huge experience of high frequency and high levels of operational performance to the partnership to ensure that the solution meets our needs.”
Yves Leclère, Safran Executive Vice President, Transformation said, “We are very pleased to partner with easyJet on the electric green taxiing system. It is a clear vote of confidence from a major airline which gives significant credibility to our system and value model.”
John Bolton, President, Honeywell’s Air Transport and Regional business, added, “Our complementary technologies and fully integrated customer approach have earned the confidence of a major player in the airline industry, and we will highly value easyJet’s operational input in developing the EGTS.”
The EGTS allows aircraft to taxi without requiring the use of aircraft engines by using the Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) generator to power motors in the main wheels. Each of the aircraft’s powered wheels is equipped with an electromechanical actuator, while unique power electronics and system controllers give pilots total control of the aircraft’s speed, direction and braking during taxi operations. The system would therefore reduce, if not remove altogether, the need for tugs to manoeuvre aircraft in and out of stands.

EasyJet (U2) will close it Madrid (MAD) base this winter, citing below expected returns.

The airline said its MAD operation was delivering returns “below all of easyJet’s other bases.” It cited a combination of factors—including overcapacity in the Spanish airline market resulting in low revenue per passenger, and airport charges that have “more than doubled in the last two years”—for the decision.

U2 stressed it remained committed to Spain, including MAD, but would move its eight MAD-based aircraft and 310 crew to other U2 bases around Europe and operate to Spain out of those bases. This “will deliver higher returns for the airline,” it said in a statement.

U2 also plans to reduce capacity to/from MAD by around 20% in the next financial year, with the overall reduction to/from Spain close to 7%. After the proposed changes, U2 expects to carry more than 12 million passengers to/from Spain next year.

The airline said all of its MAD-based pilots and cabin crew would be offered jobs at other bases and it “hopes to retain as many … as possible.” The airline said it would “discuss the proposal with the easyJet European Works Council and the local employee representatives as appropriate.”

Any restructuring costs arising out of this proposal will be accounted for in the current financial year. Assuming fuel prices remain depressed for the remainder of the year, U2 believes the benefit from lower fuel prices should fully offset any restructuring costs resulting from the proposed changes