We love our pilots. And it’s not just passengers, airlines work hard to ensure that their employees are paid well and receive benefits. Furthermore, the FAA has numerous regulations in place that ensure pilots feel and perform their best. Yet, in rare cases, pilot error does occur, sometimes adding minutes to hours to flights due to errors in FMCs or hand flying.
How important are pilot caused route deviations (PCDs)? Well, every one hour of flight on a Boeing 737 is approximately 15 tonnes of CO2. Given that there are millions of flights a year, it is certain that PCDs do in fact play a role in the sustainability crisis in aviation. But how big is that role?
To be fair, it’s hard to tell. Estimates vary, and to add on, it is clear that it’s better to spend more resources on improving propulsion and aerodynamics. The reason this issue is impactful is cost: it can easily end up to millions of dollars each year. However, sustainable practices actually provide a saving grace: FMCs have better route planning software. This new technology can make flight times decrease and limit deviations as it can run many iterations and weather patterns at once. Not only does this please sustainability advocates, it helps solve PCDs as well.
PCDs are certainly an issue for airlines. As for sustainability, it is clear it has an impact, but the size is questionable. However, given the fact that there will be improvements to the field, we can assume this problem will eventually be a relic of the past.