It enables accurate flight path and saves fuel
Seeking to put in
place a more secure and safe landing system and save fuel, IndiGo Airlines on
Saturday conducted the first ever Required Navigation Performance (RNP)
approach in regular airline operations while landing at Kochi their scheduled
flight from Bangalore.
The airlines has
collaborated with Quovadis, a subsidiary of Airbus, the Airports Authority of
India (AAI), and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to put in
place a safe landing procedure at the Kochi International Airport. IndiGo has
become the first carrier in India authorised to implement this effective,
fuel-saving practice. The Kochi International Airport is India’s seventh
busiest airport, and equipped with one Instrument Landing System (ILS) on
runway 27 and a VOR (both ground based installations) that are used for
guidance for landing procedures on both ends of the runway.
Benefits to authorities,
airlines
The RNP procedure
brings great benefits to both the authorities and the airline and enable
accurate flight path on contained and secure trajectories; a shorter flight
path, saving 75 km on each approach, which is approximately 400 kg of fuel
saving per landing and a corresponding amount of reduction of greenhouse gas
emissions; freedom from dependence on conventional ground based navigation
installations by using on board systems and Global Positioning System and
easier traffic management in non-radar environments
The entire process
that has been successfully validated on the Airbus simulators and in the
aircraft has now been flown successfully in regular commercial operations by
IndiGo on its Airbus A320 on Friday.
Aditya Ghosh, IndiGo
president, said the company was looking forward to commercially flying RNP
approaches at Kochi airport in the future.
“This new technology
will enable tangible cost savings which in turn will have a positive impact on
our overall operational efficiency. But more importantly, we are excited about
partnering in this significant step towards improving Air Traffic Management in
India and making it an even safer and greener environment to fly in,” he added.
The RNP approaches,
which can be flown by all IndiGo aircraft, are a great way to achieve savings
while promoting safety. This form of navigation has the necessary flexibility
to optimise and protect trajectories from terrain and obstacles.
The RNP project in
Kochi has been co-financed by Airbus and the French Civil Aviation Authority.
The task was led by Quo Vadis, a wholly owned Airbus subsidiary dedicated to
Performance Based Navigation (PBN).
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article3563378.ece
No comments:
Post a Comment