Reducing Emissions with $60M of NextGen Technology

Jun 6, 2017 9:05 AM ET

“Change is hard, but new technology offers us transformative opportunities to modernize our air traffic control organization in the United States. We should seize this opportunity to do the right thing!”

—Byron Dorgan, former U.S. Senator and Chair of the Senate Aviation Panel

In 2016, after a decade of planning and debate, airlines and the FAA finally greenlit key updates to outdated tracking, navigation, and communication technologies. JetBlue is investing $60 million in NextGen technology to create much-needed efficiencies and reduce emissions.

We’ve been working with the FAA for years to make this happen, adopting this technology early, and running approved tests in select Caribbean markets. During the FAA’s maintenance of East Coast radar, NextGen technology enabled us to continue flying our normal routes, reducing flights by an average of 38 nautical miles and 6 minutes.

Thanks to faster and more precise systems, JetBlue can fly more direct routes, optimize flight speeds, and improve descent patterns. Not only does this better protect the environment, it also improves safety and ensures more choices, fewer delays and cancellations, and shorter flight times for crewmembers and customers.

To learn more about JetBlue’s long-term responsibility platform and to view the full report, visit responsibilityreport.jetblue.com/2016