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Air New Zealand and aviation authorities will use a test flight from Auckland to San Francisco to demonstrate potential fuel savings by using the most efficient route.
The flight on September 12 will have operational constraints removed. The flight will have takeoff and landing priority and be able to change course to take advantage of optimal conditions.
Airlines use millions more tonnes of fuel every year than they need because they have to fly roundabout routes and get delayed on legs around the world.
Air traffic control rules and holdups account for an estimated 12 per cent of aircraft fuel around the world.
Air New Zealand said the commercial Boeing 777 flight NZ8, renamed Aspire I, will operate under optimum flight planning conditions in partnership with Airways NZ, the Federal Aviation Administration and Airservices Australia.
The airline's general manager of airline operations, David Morgan, said flight paths were set about 90 minutes before takeoff in spite of data being available every six hours which could allow aircraft to shift their course or altitude to fly more efficiently.
Airways, the FAA and Airservices Australia formed Aspire (Asia and South Pacific Initiative to Reduce Emissions) last year, with the goal of making commercial air travel more environmentally sustainable.
Morgan said the Aspire partners had a long history of working together, including introducing improvements to communications, navigation and surveillance, which have resulted in fuel savings and emissions reduction.
