Virgin Atlantic to trial CO2 reduction initiative

British carrier Virgin Atlantic announced yesterday that it is to trial the use of "starting grids" to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and slash fuel burn.

These starting grids consist of holding areas close to the runway, which allow aeroplanes to be towed to the runway instead of running their engines to manoeuvre towards their take-off position.

The airline will trial the scheme at Heathrow and Gatwick throughout the remainder of this month on selected Boeing aircraft.

Virgin Atlantic general counsel Jill Brady commented: "Towing aircraft from a stand substantially reduces the amount of time they need to taxi with their engines running and reduces the time spent queuing before take-off."

It was also claimed that local residents would benefit from less noise and purer air.

Virgin Atlantic also said yesterday that it is planning to launch flights to Chicago from Heathrow in April of next year.

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