The Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) is the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) plan to modernize the National Airspace System through 2025. Through NextGen, the FAA is developing a roadmap of new technologies and procedures to support greater capacity and less congestion. Performance-based navigation (PBN) is helping the FAA chart a course toward achieving NextGen goals.

Global Support

Airlines know that PBN increases safety, especially in marginal weather by reducing diversions to alternate airports. In fact, Alaska Airlines, the first U.S. airline to use the new procedures, reported more than 980 “saves” from diversions in 2006. PBN also saves fuel and has environmental benefits. In March, Delta Air Lines received approval to fly RNP approaches using their 737-800 fleet. Alaska Airlines, Continental Airlines, and Horizon Air already have RNP approvals.

The FAA is extending the reach of NextGen to the international aviation community. The agency is pursuing harmonization though bilateral and multilateral efforts such as the North American Aviation Trilateral, EUROCONTROL, Australia’s Aviation Safety Authority, the General Administration of the Civil Aviation of China, the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau, and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Required Navigation Performance and Special Operational Requirements Study Group. In April, ICAO published a draft revision to the PBN manual that sets harmonized navigation specifications. Courses will be taught jointly by FAA & ECTL for all ICAO regions beginning in September 2007, concluding June 2008.

Demands on U.S. Airspace

The demands on our nation’s airspace and the complexity of aircraft are increasing and may result in increased flight delays, choke points, and passenger inconvenience, particularly during unpredictable weather. For example:

• The FAA predicts that passenger demand for air transportation will increase an average of 3.4 percent each year through 2017, totaling one billion passengers in that time period.
• General Aviation will grow, with the piston aircraft fleet increasing at an average annual rate of 1.4 percent, and business jets growing at an average rate of 4 percent per year.
• Growth in scheduled and general aviation aircraft will increase point-to-point and direct routing, increasing the need for greater system flexibility to handle peaks in traffic demand, convective weather, military operations, and security needs. 
• By 2017, traffic will peak at the nation’s busiest airports, at a level 30 to 40 percent higher than today.
• The introduction of very light jets and the operation of unmanned aircraft will create new complexities.
• High fuel costs are pushing air carriers to find new ways to combat inefficiencies.

What is performance-based navigation?

PBN establishes precise approach, arrival and departure procedures at airports. It increases efficiency by providing smoother traffic flow, saves fuel, and benefits the environment by reducing the effect of aircraft noise and emissions. Allowing aircraft to fly the same path consistently lets the FAA design procedures that avoid noise-sensitive areas. The FAA and the aviation community are working together to make performance-based navigation a reality.

The aviation community is using the FAA’s Roadmap for Performance-Based Navigation to leverage advances in flight deck navigation capability to meet the demands of future air travel. A government and industry effort, the Roadmap focuses on the acceleration of two key elements of performance-based navigation at U.S. airports: Area Navigation (RNAV) and Required Navigation Performance (RNP). RNP is RNAV with the addition of an on board performance monitoring and alerting system.

What is RNAV?

Area Navigation (RNAV) enables aircraft to fly on any desired flight path within the coverage of NAVAIDS, within the limits of the capability of self-contained systems, or a combination of both capabilities. RNAV aircraft have better access and flexibility for point-to-point-operations.

To date, the FAA has authorized 155 RNAV procedures at 38 airports and plans to publish an additional 42 procedures by the end of FY 2007.

FY 2005

• Dallas-Fort Worth International, TX
• Dutch John, UT
• Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International, GA
• King Cove, AK
• McCarran International, Las Vegas, NV
• Minneapolis-St. Paul International, MN
• Philadelphia International, PA
• Portland International, OR
• San Francisco International, CA
• Sedona, AZ
• Ted Stevens Anchorage International, AK
• Theodore Francis Green State, Providence, RI
• Washington Dulles International, DC

FY 2006

• Afton, WY
• Arctic Village, AK
• Baltimore/Washington International, MD
• Boca Raton, FL
• Cleveland-Hopkins International, OH
• Dallas-Fort Worth International, TX
• Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International, FL
• George Bush Intercontinental/Houston, TX
• Hana, HI
• Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International, GA
• John F. Kennedy International, NY
• Logan International, Boston, MA
• Los Angeles International, CA
• McCarran International, Las Vegas, NV
• Miami International, FL
• Nantucket Memorial, MA
• Naples Municipal, FL
• Newark Liberty International, NJ
• Oakland International, CA
• Orlando International, FL
• Palm Beach International, FL
• Phoenix Sky Harbor International, AZ
• Reno/Tahoe International, NV
• Ronald Reagan Washington National, DC
• Santa Monica, CA
• Seattle-Tacoma International, WA
• Sitka, AK
• Theodore Francis Green State, Providence, RI
• Willow, UK

 RNAV Sites Planned for FY 2007

• Anaktuvuk, AK
• Atka, AK
• Baltimore/Washington International, MD
• Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena, CA
• Charlotte/Douglas International, NC
• Chicago Midway International, IL
• Chicago O’Hare International, IL
• Covington/Northern Kentucky, KY
• Fort Meyers, FL
• Glendale, AZ
• Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International, GA
• Holyoke, CO
• Los Angeles International, CA
• McCarran International, Las Vegas, NV
• Memphis International, TN
• Minneapolis-St. Paul International, MN
• Newark Liberty International, NJ
• Nucla Hopkins Field, CO
• Perryville, AK
• Phoenix Sky Harbor International, AZ
• Portland International, OR
• San Diego-Lindbergh Field, CA
• Santa Ana/John Wayne, CA
• Santa Monica, CA
• Seattle-Tacoma International, WA
• Tampa International, FL
• Tucson International, AZ

What is RNP?

RNP is RNAV with the addition of an on board performance monitoring and alerting system. It takes advantage of an airplane’s onboard navigation capability to fly a more precise flight path into an airport. RNP increases airport access during marginal weather, thereby reducing diversions to alternate airports. Flying straight down the middle of a flight path means that people on the ground perceive less jet noise and experience fewer engine emissions. 

The FAA has authorized a total of 37 RNP procedures at 17 airports. In 2006, the FAA published 28 RNP Special Aircraft and Aircrew Authorization Required (SAAAR) procedures at 14 airports. The FAA plans to publish at least 25 more RNP approach procedures in FY 2007.

FY 2005

• Palm Springs International, CA
• Portland International, OR
• Ronald Reagan Washington National, DC

FY 2006

• Chicago Midway International, IL
• Friedman Memorial, Hailey, ID
• Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International, FL
• Gary/Chicago International, IN
• Guam International, Guam
• Honolulu International, HI
• John F. Kennedy International, NY
• Long Beach (Daugherty Field), CA
• Newark Liberty International, NJ
• Palm Springs International, CA
• Portland International, OR
• Quito, Ecuador
• San Francisco International, CA
• Tampa International, FL
• Tucson International, AZ

RNP Planned for FY 2007

• Baltimore/Washington International, MD
• Bishop/Eastern Sierra Regional, CA
• Dallas-Fort Worth International, TX
• Dekalb-Peachtree, GA
• Friedman Memorial, Hailey, ID
• George Bush Intercontinental/Houston, TX
• Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International, GA
• Honolulu International, HI
• Jackson Hole, WY
• Long Beach (Daugherty Field), CA
• Miami International, FL
• Minneapolis-St. Paul International, MN
• New York/LaGuardia, NY
• Ontario International, CA
• Ronald Reagan Washington National, DC
• San Francisco International, CA
• Washington Dulles International, DC
• Will Rogers World, OK

Accomplishments

The procedures currently providing the most significant benefits to operators include the RNAV departures at Dallas-Ft. Worth and RNAV departures and arrivals at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport., the RNP SAAAR approaches at Washington, D.C.’s Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, and Alaska Airlines’ special RNP SAAAR approach procedure into Palm Springs. For example, RNAV is saving operators $8.5M annually at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport. Delta reports savings of $36M annually at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. We’re also seeing capacity benefits with RNAV. At DFW, RNAV departures are allowing 11 to 20 additional operations per hour. Results are similar in Atlanta with an additional 10 departures per hour.

What’s in the Roadmap?

The Roadmap for Performance-Based Navigation addresses five key areas:

• Expediting the development of performance-based navigation criteria and standards.
• Introducing airspace and procedure improvements in the near-term.
• Providing benefits to operators who have invested in existing and upcoming capabilities.
• Establishing target dates for introducing navigation mandates for selected procedure and airspace, taking benefits and costs into consideration.
• Defining new concepts and applications of performance-based navigation for the mid-and far-term, building synergy and integration among other capabilities toward the NextGen goal.

The Roadmap details the FAA’s transition plans in three time periods:

• Near Term: Today-2010
  Realize the value of investments by operators in current aircraft and new aircraft acquisitions, FAA investments in satellite-based navigation and conventional navigation infrastructure. The focus is on wide-scale RNAV implementation and the introduction of RNP for en route, terminal, and approach procedures. The near-term strategy compliments the agency’s efforts to alleviate choke points at the 35 airports in the FAA’s Operational Evolution Plan (OEP).
• Mid-term: 2011-2015
  Shift to predominantly RNP operations for improving flight efficiency and airport access. The mid-term strategy will employ RNAV extensively to improve flight operations.
• Far-term: 2016-2025
  Concentrate on performance-based operation through integrated RNP, Required Communications Performance (RCP , and Required Surveillance Performance (RSP); optimizing airspace, automationenhancements; and modernization of communications, navigation, and surveillance (CNS) infrastructures.

Consultants Help Accelerate PBN

In order to help accelerate PBN, the FAA is allowing consultants to help airlines through the approval process and develop actual flight procedures. Naverus, a privately-held company based in Seattle, is the first FAA-approved consultant to provide third party assistance to operators. In addition to helping operators with their approval packages for RNP SAAAR, Naverus has an agreement with the FAA to begin the qualification process for developing and implementing RNP SAAAR flight procedures for operators using FAA criteria. Naverus provides products and services to a variety of customers, including Airbus, Air China, Air New Zealand, Boeing, JetBlue, Jetstar, Qantas, Virgin Blue and WestJet. The FAA continues to develop RNP procedures in accordance with the agency’s Flight Plan goals.