March 10, 2009 - Boeing reports that its customized landing-path program for airliners saved more than 1 million pounds of jet fuel over a yearlong testing period.

Introduced in 2007, Boeing's Tailored Arrivals program uses technologies designed by NASA and the Federal Aviation Administration to streamline communications between airline pilots and control towers and calculate the most fuel-efficient landing path for aircraft.

Initial testing on Boeing 777 and 747 planes found that Tailored Arrival approaches cut fuel consumption during descents by up to 39%, depending on airplane type, and total carbon emissions by more than 500,000 pounds. Tailored Arrivals of 1,000 777s and 747s arriving at San Francisco airport over the past year saved 1.1 million pounds of fuel and 3.6 million pounds of carbon emissions, according to Boeing.