Regional carrier Loganair has inked a partnership with the Met Office and FLYHT Aerospace to improve accuracy of weather forecasts and reduce flight emissions.
The partnership is the first of its kind in the UK and will see all 13 Loganair Embraer 145s fitted with cutting-edge FLYHT-WVSS-II atmospheric water vapor sensors.
These sensors will measure weather data for the Met Office.
The sensors will routinely monitor environmental conditions around the aircraft during flight and collect invaluable meteorological information.
This could lead to reducing flight emission.
Loganair’s Embraer fleet flies three to four times daily across the airline’s UK routes.
One key benefit is the potential to assess the non-CO2 effects of aviation.
These are estimated to contribute around 48% of the environmental impact of flying.
Loganair CEO Jonathan Hinkles said: “This partnership signifies our commitment to confronting the environmental challenges posed by aviation.
“We are taking the lead in pioneering solutions and this will take our efforts to the next level.”
“It’s a first-of-its-kind initiative of this scale in the UK.”
The readings provided will help the Met Office to better predict extreme weather events.”
It could potentially improve local forecasting of conditions such as thunderstorms, fog, and showers.
