Sustainability and Environment
FAA Adds Continuous Descents at 11 More Airports
The optimized profile descents now available at 64 U.S. airports reduce aircraft fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.
optimized profile descent into an airport saves fuel and reduces aircraft emissions and noise
Optimized profile descents eliminate stair-step procedures, in which aircraft repeatedly must level off during the descent. The continuous path reduces aircraft fuel consumption, emissions, and noise. (Image: FAA)

Aircraft can now descend continuously from cruising altitude to final approach without the need for step-down procedures at 11 more airports in Florida, Missouri, Nebraska, and Nevada. These latest optimized profile descents (OPDs), activated throughout 2022, minimize ATC communications and reduce aircraft fuel consumption and greenhouse-gas emissions. The latest additions bring the total of facilities with OPDs to 64.

OPDs, which were introduced in 2014, eliminate stair-step procedures, in which aircraft repeatedly must level off during the descent, requiring the need to increase engine power. This burns more fuel and requires air traffic controllers to issue instructions at each step. With OPD, aircraft descend from cruising altitude to the runway on a continuous path with the engines at near idle.

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