European budget travel news

Although not seemingly related to Europe, Air Canada is to strip the paint from one of its Boeing 767 jets. The logo and tail fin art will be left and the metalwork will be polished. This move is expected to reduce the weight of the aircraft by 360 pounds. This will lead to fuel savings predicted at $24,000 per year. It follows weight reduction measures such as reducing baggage allowances, removing pillows and blankets from flights. If successful and the whole Air Canada fleet adopts the measure it will save about seven tonnes of paint and reduce costs by $1 million per year. Air Canada has set itself a target of improving fuel efficiency by 1.5%. This would translate to savings of $45 million per year.

This highlights how airlines are being driven to make fuel savings to remain competitive. Ryanair reduced weight in its latest purchases of 737-800's by using non reclining seats and removing window blinds. They may well follow suit and remove paint from their aircraft. In any event rising fuel costs are driving an effort to operate more efficient aircraft such as the 787 Dreamliner and the Airbus A350. Other operators are fitting winglets that offer fuel savings in flight.