Environmental benefits of continuous descent approaches at Schiphol Airport compared with conventional approach procedures

For a number of years, Continuous Descent Approaches (CDA) have been used at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol during night hours and on a single runway. An inquiry among residents of the area surrounding the airport showed that the noise nuisance during nightly hours has been substantially reduced since the introduction of the CDA. Until recently, no operational data was available to demonstrate the reduction of the noise footprint and the fuel consumption. Using operational (FMS) data of actual approaches of both the Boeing 747-400 and the Boeing 737-300/400, an investigation into the environmental benefits of CDA approaches compared to conventional approach procedures is carried out. The results support the inquiry among residents: the noise footprints of the CDA are substantially smaller than the footprints of the conventional approach procedures. Also, fuel consumption is about 30% lower during the last 45 km of the flight. For the covering abstract see ITRD E107776.