Continuous Descent (CD)

Finavia launched a three-year Continuous Descent (CD, so called green landings) development project in 2008, which aims for broader adoption of more environmentally friendly aviation practices. The project is aimed at reducing the noise of landing aircrafts as well as their exhaust gas emissions and fuel consumption by changing the operating procedures of pilots, airlines and air traffic control, especially during night-time traffic.

The first stage aims to increase the share of CD approaches especially of night-time approaches. The share of CD approaches at the daily level at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport is at the moment already almost 60 %.

Air traffic control facilitates the pilot carrying out a CD, when he or she can, aided by the technical system of the aircraft, execute an optimal approach in terms of velocity and altitude profile and avoid the conventional period of level flight. In the best case, emissions during the approach can be reduced by 10-30%. With large aircrafts, this means saving as much as 200 kg of fuel per approach. Noise is also reduced.