EMMA KELLY / LONDON
The study, awarded to Helios Technology, will investigate the region's options for next area navigation development
European air navigation organisation Eurocontrol has awarded UK consultancy Helios Technology a one-year contract to develop a business case for the introduction of future area navigation (RNAV) standards in European airspace.
The study will investigate Europe's options beyond basic-RNAV (B-RNAV) which was eventually introduced in August 1998 after a series of delays and was intended to reduce traffic bottlenecks in European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC) airspace.
The carriage of B-RNAV avionics meeting required navigation performance 5 (RNP5) - providing navigation accuracy of 5nm (9.3km) for 95% of the flight time - became mandatory in ECAC airspace three years ago. B-RNAV means that aircraft are not required to fly over ground navigation aids, resulting in increased flexibility in the European air route network and reducing sector complexity and traffic bottlenecks in key areas of the continent. B-RNAV was originally due to be implemented in January 1998, but suffered two implementation delays due to the lack of compliance among operators.
Helios will study precision-RNAV (P-RNAV) and required navigation performance RNAV (RNP RNAV) which would allow capacity improvements in terminal airspace, where B-RNAV is not suitable and which would require a positional accuracy of 1nm or better.
P-RNAV involves RNP1 requirements, providing navigation precision of 1nm for 95% of the flight time. RNP RNAV is a global navigation standard that includes precision values from 20nm down to the size of the aircraft. RNP RNAV offers higher integrity and availability than P-RNAV, but the former would require operators to install additional equipment. "We are trying to find the best way forward for this and future standards," says Paul Ravenhill, senior consultant at Helios Technology. "We need to determine whether the benefits are worth any additional expense to operators," he adds.
Helios will examine the costs and benefits of both capabilities and look at implementation issues such as equipage rates, mandates, procedural changes for air traffic control service providers and the environmental impact of new procedures, says Ravenhill. P-RNAV or RNP RNAV would allow Europe to keep up with current levels of traffic without damaging the environment, he adds.
The study will focus on two to be decided European airports, with one in the core area of Europe and the second in a peripheral area. The study will determine the benefits of P-RNAVand RNP RNAV to the airports and operators using them. Eurocontrol is understood to be particularly keen to get operators involved at an early stage in the process after difficulties involved in B-RNAV implementation and to ensure that operators get the benefits. "We hope that a significant number of the fleet would require recertification only rather than any new kit onboard," says Ravenhill.
Europe is due to make a decision on beyond B-RNAV capabilities around 2003, which could lead to implementation around 2010.
Source: Flight International
