Balancing drill-and-blast cost is often constrained by the risk that lower explosive energy will degrade fragmentation, reduce dig rates and/or processing productivity, or introduce adverse blast behaviours that propagate into broader mining KPIs. At Solomon, a Western Australia Iron Ore mine, a structured cost-reduction initiative targeted improvements in cost-effectiveness in drill and blast operations with the explicit requirement that downstream performance remains within planning targets. Air-decking was adopted as the key enabler to reduce overall powder factor in two geological domains lowering both cost per tonne and the associated carbon footprint while keeping every blast compliant with operational requirements. Different alternatives for blast design optimisation were explored, evaluating its potential results but also its implementation complexity. The chosen pathway was to improve the stemming efficiency, through airdecks, enabling a reduction in the charge per blasthole. The new designs were model led rather than just empirical as they were developed using insights from a numerical model previously developed. The numerical model provided key insights into the blast designs demonstrating that the airdeck alters how detonation energy is consumed and implications for the stemming efficiency. These insights were the foundation of the initial blast design tested during the field trials and, once initial results were confirmed, that airdecks could deliver the improvement program’s objectives. The program progressed from a POC to expanded trials to production rollout. Performance was quantified through a rigorous data workflow: D&B design parameters, explosive consumption and digging performance data and blast reports were consolidated; a criterion and scoring system was developed for assessing digging performance to identify key contributors (geology, explosive type/powder factor, blast size, diameter, airdeck length). Across the 22 production blasts the new designs achieved a 15.9 per cent powder-factor reduction, saving 1039 t of explosive and 1053 t of stemming material, corresponding to 196.4 t less CO2 equivalent emissions. Furthermore, this powder factor reduction did not compromise the balance of the mining value chain: no top size over specifications and digging rates were ~5 per cent above the targets on average.