New Delhi, July 18: Air traffic controllers will be participating in test flights across countries along the Indian Ocean, aiming to check out new routes to save on fuel.

According to air traffic control (ATC) officials, the routes will be identified in the next three months and sent for approval to the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation.

“We are working out the details and the process of charting out new routes is still underway. As soon as the final report is made, we will send it to the authorities,” said a senior ATC official. “These flights are being called Inspire flights.” Inspire is an acronym for Indian Ocean Strategic Partnership to Reduce Emissions.

According to the official, the exercise will help airlines to find out new routes that may not only be shorter but also more efficient in terms of fuel use and lower emissions.

“It will allow the airlines to maximise the use of winds, on-board avionics and meteorological updates to chart and file the most efficient flight path,” said an airline consultant who did not want to be named.

According to the ATC officials, the current routes are more than two decades old and do not take into account the prevailing wind and weather conditions.

A Perth-Dubai demonstration flight was recently flown by Emirates that had a number of ATC officers from India on board.

According to aviation analysts, airlines can save 10-35 per cent of their expenses on aviation fuel by taking the new routes. This will be a boost for airlines such as Air India, Kingfisher and Jet Airways that suffered losses because of high jet fuel prices, excess capacity and fierce competition. As many as four test flights are likely to take place.