Air Transport

China has committed to expanding required navigation performance (RNP) operations throughout the country as part of a deal with US company Naverus, writes Bredan Sobie.

Naverus says it has forged an agreement with the Civil Aviation Administration of China’s (CAAC) research and development institute, the Centre of Aviation Safety Technology (CAST), covering licensing of its RNP Availability Forecast product.

The Seattle-based company says CAST will distribute the forecasts to Chinese airlines, which will use the data to determine several times a day which RNP procedures are available.

“CAST’s decision to move ahead with this service, early and nationally, reflects the CAAC’s commitment to implement RNP throughout China,” says Naverus chief executive Dan Gerrity.

Air China began testing RNP procedures in Tibet last year in a project involving Boeing, Naverus and the CAAC. Gerrity says Naverus is working with CAST “to accelerate the technology” in China.

Naverus says the forecast service to be licensed by CAST will help Chinese airlines launch operations using RNP-based navigation or RNP RNav.

RNP operations require specially equipped flight-management systems in the cockpit and satellite navigation, enabling pilots to approach and depart airfields without traditional ground-based navigation aids.

Naverus’ forecast service provides airlines with specific RNP RNav availability information several times a day after assessing information on GPS signal conditions, aircraft characteristics and terrain.

“This service is important to all of our airlines as they implement this technology,” says CAST director general Shi Dinghao.