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ITT Implementing Technology to Improve Aviation Safety, Decrease Passenger Delays and Reduce Carbon Emissions

Dépèche transmise le 1 octobre 2009 par Business Wire

ITT Implementing Technology to Improve Aviation Safety, Decrease Passenger Delays and Reduce Carbon Emissions

HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--ITT Corporation (NYSE: ITT) announced today that a new technology it is implementing will dramatically improve aviation safety and efficiency in the Gulf of Mexico while reducing passenger delays and greenhouse gas emissions. The company is planning to help bring the same technology to other areas across the United States in 2010, including New York, Washington, D.C., Chicago and Los Angeles.

The new technology -- called Automatic Dependent Surveillance -- Broadcast, or ADS-B -- will enable air traffic to be managed more efficiently, allowing airplanes to use more direct routes to save fuel and reduce flight times. ADS-B is the backbone of the Next Generation Air Transportation System, or NextGen, the Federal Aviation Administration’s effort to steadily transform the ground-based air traffic control system of today to a more efficient, satellite-based system of the future.

“We are proud to help the FAA usher in a new era of aviation,” said Steve Loranger, ITT’s chairman, president and chief executive officer. “This transformation of U.S. air traffic control is not only going to improve safety and reduce passenger delays, it will also help the airline industry make significant cuts to its greenhouse gas emissions.”

Fully implemented, NextGen and ADS-B are expected save the U.S. economy more than $40 billion a year through fuel and passenger time cost savings. Specific benefits ADS-B will enable include:

• Decreased passenger delays: FAA estimates a 35-40% reduction by 2018 due to NextGen implementation
• Decreased fuel consumption: Tests show that an ADS-B-equipped Airbus on a trans-Atlantic flight could save 350 lbs. of fuel per trip
• Reduced carbon emissions: A UPS pilot program of ADS-B reduced greenhouse gas emissions of its Boeing 757 aircraft by 38%
• Greater safety: An ADS-B pilot program in Alaska coincided with a 47% decrease in accident rate
• Comprehensive tracking: GPS technology now allows the path of aircraft to be tracked anywhere -- on the ground or in the air
• Shorter flight times due to more direct routes

“We are delighted to be on time and under budget for ADS-B system development and deployment,” said Loranger. “ITT is pleased to partner with the FAA and we look forward to working together for years to come.”

ADS-B will also address challenges specific to airspace over the Gulf of Mexico, one of the most highly trafficked airspaces in the world with hundreds of commercial airline flights and more than 600 helicopters operating every day to service 9,000 offshore oil and gas platforms. Currently, radar coverage exists in a very limited area, requiring the application of inefficient air traffic control procedures.

As a part of the ADS-B program, ITT is also installing equipment to monitor weather in the area and enable the transmission of real-time weather information to aircraft. Currently, such information is only available for approximately one-quarter of the Gulf of Mexico.

ITT was awarded a $1.86 billion contract by the FAA in 2007 to lead a team to develop and deploy the ADS-B system nationwide and operate and maintain the system after deployment through September 2025.

About ITT Corporation

ITT Corporation is a high-technology engineering and manufacturing company operating on all seven continents in three vital markets: water and fluids management, global defense and security, and motion and flow control. With a heritage of innovation, ITT partners with its customers to deliver extraordinary solutions that create more livable environments, provide protection and safety and connect our world. Headquartered in White Plains, N.Y., the company generated 2008 sales of $11.7 billion. www.itt.com