Finnair has selected Nordisk Aviation Products, a supplier of air cargo equipment to the global commercial aviation industry, to provide its wide-body aircraft with lightweight unit load devices (ULDs), which will result in improved fuel economy and significant reductions in CO2 emissions. The move is part of Finnair's "weight watchers" drive to improve fuel efficiency and help meet emissions reduction targets by minimising aircraft weight. The lighter the plane, the less fuel it needs to fly. The Nordisk UltraLite AKE containers, used for efficiently storing cargo and luggage, weigh 55 kilograms, about 25 kilograms lighter than Finnair's current ULDs. The new containers will save approximately 800,000 kilograms in fuel and more than 2.5 million kilograms of CO2 annually. The super strong, lightweight container panels are made from a process using the same materials found in bulletproof vests and aircraft cockpit doors. Finnair is expected to take delivery of the new ULDs by the end of this year. Finnair, a pioneer in sustainable flying, operates a young, modern fleet and has the highest score of any publically disclosing airline in the worldwide Carbon Disclosure Project. The airline is committed to reducing its per-seat CO2 emissions by 24 per cent from 2009 to 2017.(mar)