APU Zero Program: In almost 4 years, Azul has saved more than 26 million liters of fuel at its main hub alone
In practice, this savings at Viracopos (Campinas) – the company's first base to join the initiative in 2022 – is equivalent to the volume of kerosene needed for more than 10,000 air shuttle flights (São Paulo-Rio de Janeiro) and a reduction of more than 55,000 tons of CO₂
Azul, the only company in the world to have its carbon emission reduction targets approved by the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi), an initiative of the UN Global Compact, has been a benchmark in the sector with initiatives to immediately improve fuel efficiency in its operations. One of the main actions is the APU Zero program, which will complete four years in April.
An assessment of its results – considering only the first base to join this initiative – shows how important adopting APU Zero has been for both Azul's sustainability plans and the environment. From its launch in 2022 until this month in Viracopos (Campinas), Azul has recorded savings of approximately 26 million liters of fuel from aircraft on the ground, which is the volume of kerosene needed to operate more than 10,000 air shuttle flights between São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.
The APU Zero (or, translated into Portuguese, Auxiliary Power Unit) is an auxiliary engine, usually located in the tail of some aircraft, that is activated to keep the systems running when the aircraft is on the ground. With the program and the partnership with the airports, upon landing, Azul's aircraft are immediately provided with an external power source and air conditioning, ensuring comfort for passengers embarking and disembarking – all without the APU being activated and consuming any of the aircraft's fuel.
“This means that, at the VCP base alone, which has adopted APU Zero since the program's inception, this fuel savings on the ground has since prevented the emission of more than 55,000 tons of CO₂. But this environmental benefit is even greater. Today, we have 22 airports across the country participating in this program – bases that, together, have already managed to reduce APU usage by more than 85% during takeoffs and landings. Last year alone, all of them together managed to prevent the emission of more than 73,000 tons of CO₂,” celebrates Caio Garcia, Senior Manager of Flight Efficiency at Azul's Operations Engineering department.
Azul maintains and strengthens the program and hopes to attract partnerships with more airports – of all sizes – and in all regions of the country.
Source: Azul.