SMAAC asked the MAC for time before the Full Commission to speak about global-warming and public health issues.
- COVID-19 infections over Hennepin County as mapped for Jan 15 to Apr 3 already resemble flight paths departing R30R at MSP.
- city-MSP-city flights at high runway-use levels (short intervals) may remain airline and FAA objectives but require State and MetC policy (plan approval) decisions;
- about a 2.5% GHG reductions would be realized per flight if balanced runway use is <135 ops/hour and
- hub operations nationally should be changed to reduce fuel use and GHG/particulate emissions about 20% to 25% if the NAS trips are realigned to use 60 to 70 connecting hubs as in 2005.
The idea is to advise the Commission they have Sustainability (reduced carbon footprint) options including off-site flight impacts. There is a danger, of course, that NAS changes will be delayed by imagining safe high-rate automated flights and cleaner (more fuel efficiency) jet engines are feasible. Our advice is take the 2.5% and save costs and wouldn't a 50% GHG reduction be great if the imagined results were possible?
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