Signol, a software company using behavioural economics and data science to cut fuel waste and save firms millions of dollars, has landed first place at the Etihad Airways Sustainability Challenge at this year’s Dubai Airshow.
The new competition, hosted by VISTA, invited start-ups, developers and entrepreneurs from across the globe to propose solutions to lower Etihad’s carbon emissions.
Driving innovative solutions to sustainability in the aviation industry, Signol tackles operational inefficiency at source. Using data analysis, pilots are provided with personalised feedback, targets and incentives to reduce pollution and fuel waste based on their individual behaviours.
As winners of the Etihad Sustainability Challenge, Signol will now embark on a pilot scheme with the international airline. This follows the success of a trial initiative between Signol and Virgin Atlantic, in which 24,000 metric tonnes of CO2 was saved, slashing operating costs and reducing the business’s carbon impact.
The trial remains the most cost-effective carbon abatement project ever recorded, saving Virgin Atlantic $6.1 million in fuel costs over just eight months.
Daniel White, the CEO and co-founder of Signol said: “The aviation industry is demanding environmental solutions that aren’t capital intensive and slow-moving. We’re delighted to be working with Etihad to deliver further evidence that carbon saving can not only be timely and cost-effective, but cost-saving for airlines.
Our goal is to bring commercial, environmental and social value to Etihad, and to use our partnership at the cutting edge of sustainability software to educate the wider industry on how data can deliver critical carbon savings at pace.
Signol will meet with Etihad Airways to assess their specific needs in order to build custom targets not only for the business but for each individual pilot, analysing and optimising the data to deliver meaningful personalised targets.
During the pilot, Etihad’s operational departments could already reap the benefits of using the app, such as fuel savings, carbon emission reduction, and an increased morale in pilots and captains. The results will offer confidence in the scale at which Signol can act in order to help Etihad be even more efficient and sustainable.
Jorg Oppermann, vice president, operating division, Etihad Airways said: “Etihad’s innovation strategy allows the airline to push its sustainability agenda forward, and one of the ways it does this is by engaging with global startups. The VISTA challenge at the Dubai Airshow has given Etihad the opportunity to share the sustainability-themed innovation challenge with global start-ups and innovators. In the limited timeframe, Signol has been able to propose an innovative solution to the airlines challenge using data analytics, and we look forward to working with them on a pilot to support Etihad’s extensive efforts in reducing scope 1 emissions.”
