Thinking GREEN, to keep the SKY BLUE!

TAROM proposes to demonstrate that the increase in air traffic within the limits imposed by the measures for environmental protection is possible.

By the measures that we adopt, we want to follow the ICAO and IATA objectives, but we have proposed our own targets that regard identifying and implementing the best practices regarding emissions reductions of which not only the aviation sector but also the passengers, will benefit.

TAROM objectives are obtaining efficiency of fuel consumption of 1.5 - 2% between 2009 and 2020 and achieving a neutral carbon increase from 2020. So, all the emissions produced by TAROM flights should be compensated by different measures including offset ones. To attain these targets, TAROM is implementing a responsible policy regarding the efficiency of burned fuel.

"CONTINUOUS DESCENT APPROACH" PROCEDURE

TAROM is one of the first airline companies in the world that has initiated the pilot project "Continuous Descent Approach (CDA)": a total new procedure for landing, that has as purpose the reduction of the quantity of burned fuel.

CDA replaces the classic procedure of landing in stages, reducing not only the corresponding landing slope emissions, but also the noise pollution (the noise produced by aircraft). The pilot phase of this project involves the Airbus A318 aircraft of TAROM.

The analysis of the ongoing project results, made in collaboration with AIRBUS and the Research Center for Aviation and Environment (CATE), with headquarters in Manchester (Great Britain) shows a CO2 emissions reduction of up to 350 kilograms per flight. Curently, TAROM team works at optimizing the landing trajectory in CDA and obtaining an even greater reduction of oil consumtion and CO2 emissions.

"SINGLE ENGINE TAXI" PROCEDURE

Also, TAROM is finalizing the implementation of the "Single Engine Taxi" procedure which states that after landing the aircraft can stop an engine until it gets to the parking lot in order to reduce the consumption of the airplane on ground. The procedure is already used for TAROM following aircraft: A318 and ATR, in December 2009 being under implementation this new procedure also for BOEING aircraft of the company's fleet.

This procedure reduces noxious emissions of aircraft by 0.4%.

THE WINGLET SYSTEM

TAROM has equipped with the Winglet (September 2009) system the Boeing 737-700 of the company's fleet. These devices reduce the fuel consumption of aircraft and the noxious emissions up to 3%, diminishing also with up to 6.5% the noise pollution produced by aircraft.

The Winglet system is a device that is assembled at the end of the airplane wings, reducing the resistance when advancing and improving the performances of the equipped aircraft.

The Winglet devices have recorded a great success due to the advantages brought for the airline companies.

The Winglet System:

• Increases the cruise speed, reducing at the same time the oil consumption;
• Increases the maximum flight distance of aircraft, making possible operating new destinations that are located in distant points;
• Reduces operating cost on existing routes (by up to 3-4%, depending on destinations' distances);
• Reduces the intensity of swirls that are created at the top of the aircraft wings during flight, optimizing them by the aerodynamic point of view;
• Improves the performance at takeoff and landing, allowing pilots to use some takeoff procedures that reduces engine wear and implicitly the maintenance costs;
• Reduces the negativ impact of aircraft on the environment.

FLEET

Presently TAROM fleet is amongst one of the youngest in Europe, the average age of our aircraft being 8 years.

The national flag carrier has entered, even from the '90s, in an intensive process of fleet renewal in order to reduce the maintenance costs and the emissions.

Presently, TAROM fleet comprises 26 aircraft: three BOEING 737 - 800, four BOEING 737-700, four BOEING 737-300, four Airbus A318-111, two Airbus A310-325, seven ATR 42-500 and two ATR 72-500.

The importance of biofuels in aviation

In order to reduce the impact of civil aviation on the environment, TAROM is looking for solutions to neutralize the impact of increasing CO2 emissions - not to increase CO2 emissions despite increasing traffic - as a first step to a CO2-free future.

In the strive to search for solutions to reduce human impact on climate change, to which TAROM is a part of, appropriate biofuels are essential to ensuring a clean source of fuel for the global aircraft fleet and to helping millions of people travelling annually by plane have a lower impact as possible on the planet.

Biofuels are made from any reused biological source, such as plants which absorb the carbon dioxide and grow in the sunlight, the most frequent being the plants rich in sugar (sugar cane), known as the first generation of biofuels and the plants rich in bio oil derivatives (e.g. camelina etc.), a second generation of bio fuel.

The aviation industry tends to use the second generation of biofuels, made from non-edible plants which can grow in different areas, including desert or salty areas. Each of the plants included in this generation was subject to research showing that it has the potential to provide large quantities of cheaper, CO2-free fuel.

The plants included in this generation have numerous advantages on the environment (help reduce CO2 emissions by 80%), are a viable alternative to fossil fuels and can make up for traditional fuels used in jets (tests show they can be used for flying), but they also have economic and social benefits, being a solution for oil price fluctuation and an economic advantage for developing countries that grow such plants. Growing biofuel crops should take into account the necessity not to affect the production of human food.

Biofuels are the solution for the aviation industry to partly reduce the greenhouse gases and maybe to replace, someday, the oil fuel rich in CO2.

TAROM is interested in using biofuels in civil aviation to reduce the impact on the environment. TAROM is part of an international project for a feasibility study on using biofuels for its aircrafts. The multi-stage project considers the assessment of growing camelina in Romania and processing seeds into aviation oil.

In the nearest future, biofuels will used with no restrictions together with fossil fuels in transportation aircrafts.