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UPS
Airlines strives to reduce its impact on the environment by
operating efficient aircraft and aggressively managing our
aircraft operations. We support the development of economically
responsible solutions that reduce the effect of air operations
on the environment. These solutions include not only equipment
design and configuration, but aircraft operating procedures
and technology.
We operate the eighth largest airline in the world, and we
continue to lead the industry in deploying noise and emission
reduction technologies. Our strategy for purchasing aircraft
focuses on managing operational costs and ensuring landing
rights around the world by flying a quiet, fuel-efficient
and low-emission fleet.

UPS’s fleet of aircraft meets and exceeds the noise
and emission reduction regulations established by the International
Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). We have consistently pursued
a “beyond compliance” strategy to ensure a quiet
and highly fuel efficient air fleet. Instead of installing
hush kits on our engines, in the mid-1990s UPS took a long-term, sustainable approach and replaced
100 percent of the engines in our 727-100 and DC-8 jet freighter
fleet.

All new UPS aircraft must meet ICAO’s Stage IV noise guidelines, which call for a 10 decibel reduction over Stage III. UPS is voluntarily applying this standard to its entire fleet — all UPS aircraft will meet Stage IV guidelines.

UPS buys aircraft that are highly efficient and environmentally
friendly. The following graph describes the characteristics
of each type of aircraft we purchase.

Our aircraft engineers developed a measurement that links
the amount of emissions produced by our aircraft with the
number of packages the fleet can carry.

In 2006, UPS had 0.81 kilograms of aircraft emissions per 1,000 kilograms of payload capacity — an improvement of 6 percent over 2005.
The positive trend reflects the increasing role that modern, efficient aircraft play in our airline operations.
UPS Airlines has a designated fuel conservation manager who continually monitors fuel use throughout the airline. As a result, UPS is:
- reducing the amount of extra fuel carried by aircraft;
- using only one engine during taxiing on twin-engine aircraft and limiting the number of engines used during taxiing on aircraft with three or four engines;
- having more UPS airplanes use electrical power from buildings and in-ground electrical hook-ups instead of the aircraft’s auxiliary power unit, which is powered by fuel; and
- slowing down flights to the most fuel efficient speed possible if it doesn’t change an arrival time critical to making service commitments.
- In 2006, UPS retired five older aircraft, including one 747-100, three 727-100s and one DC-8-71. These were replaced with 11 new highly-efficient aircraft, including six A300-600s and five MD-11s.
- During 2006, UPS continued to work with the FAA to gain approval to use Continuous Descent Approach (CDA) when landing at airports. Using CDA, aircraft glide down, rather than stepping down altitudes. This reduces noise, burns less fuel and creates fewer emissions.
- UPS Airlines continues to use a unique flight planning system, which calculates the most efficient route between two points, based on weather, winds, terrain and other factors.
- In coordination with the Federal Aviation Administration, UPS is testing Automatic Dependent Surveillance — Broadcast (ADS-B) technology on all 107 of our 757 and 767 aircraft. Among other things, this technology allows UPS to proactively manage aircraft departure queues, which reduces fuel use and emissions. UPS is the world’s only fleet equipped with this advanced technology.
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