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GE Aviation to Deploy RNP Paths at Jiuzhai Huanglong Airport

Dépèche transmise le 20 juin 2011 par Business Wire

GE Aviation to Deploy RNP Paths at Jiuzhai Huanglong Airport

LE BOURGET, France--(BUSINESS WIRE)--GE Aviation has been selected to deploy a Required Navigation Performance (RNP) program at Jiuzhai Huanglong Airport, in the Sichuan province of China. The cornerstone of the program is a network of GE-designed RNP paths that will improve access and maximize operational efficiency for airlines serving the airport. This significant contract marks the first airport-sponsored RNP program implementation in China.

“We are confident that this RNP program will improve both airline operations and passengers experience when flying to and from Jiuzhai.”

GE, in coordination with the airport and the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), will design and deploy highly-precise approach and departure flight paths with custom-engineered vertical paths for each of the eight RNP-capable airlines that operate to Jiuzhai. This will enable Jiuzhai Airport to provide a common RNP path for all airlines while giving each airline the best performance possible for their fleet-type. GE also will provide RNP operations approval support and validation for two launch airlines, Air China (A319) and China Eastern (737-700), followed by operations approval and validation support for six subsequent airlines.

In total, GE will deploy RNP procedures and provide maintenance and support services for eight airlines, operating five different aircraft types from three aircraft families at Jiuzhai.

Furthermore, GE will cooperate with the CAAC to support the local establishment of expertise through a package of tutoring and on-the-job training to qualified CAAC procedure design personnel to demonstrate effective methodologies for designing and validating flight procedures. GE also is working with the airport to identify terrain obstacles north of the airport that currently limit aircraft operations. The RNP program will solve limitations presented by the obstacle, improving accessibility for the eight operators.

“This joint undertaking marks a significant milestone in airspace modernization efforts in China,” said Giovanni Spitale, general manager for GE’s PBN Services. “GE is proud to work with such forward-thinking organizations around the world that are working toward a common goal of improving aircraft and air traffic management operations.”

Jiuzhai Airport, located at 11,311 feet (3,448 meters) in the Himalayan Mountains, is the third highest airport in China. Delays and diversions are common at Jiuzhai due to inclement weather and poor visibility. RNP procedures can be deployed at any airport enabling aircraft to fly very precise paths with an accuracy of less than a wingspan. This precision allows pilots to land the aircraft in weather conditions that would otherwise require them to hold, divert to another airport, or even cancel the flight before departure.

“In order to improve operational efficiencies at Jiuzhai, it was essential to be able to offer this solution to not just one airline that serves the airport, but to all the airlines,” said Yang Hong Hai, director of flight operations management division, CAAC Flight Standards Department “We are confident that this RNP program will improve both airline operations and passengers experience when flying to and from Jiuzhai.”

Chinese airlines and CAAC are working with GE to deploy PBN (Performance-based Navigation) solutions that align with China’s PBN Implementation Roadmap. Since 2004, GE’s PBN Services has completed 16 RNP AR implementations for four Chinese airlines at six airports.

“Air China first began flying GE-designed RNP paths in 2005 at Lhasa to improve access to the airport,” said Captain Chen Dongcheng, vice general manager of operations quality & management department of Air China Southwest branch. “Since then, we have deployed RNP with GE at five other Chinese airports, improving access, schedule performance and lowering fuel usage. We are pleased to now be able to take advantage of similar benefits at Jiuzhai.”

“Our daily operations into Lhasa and Yushu have improved significantly since deploying RNP in 2009,” said Capt. Zhao Jinyu, vice president of China Eastern Airlines. “It’s crucial to our business and to the communities we serve to provide consistent, reliable flights—and RNP helps ensure this is possible.”

RNP procedures, an advanced form of PBN technology, are very precise flight paths that can be designed to shorten the distance an aircraft has to fly en-route, and to reduce fuel burn, exhaust emissions and noise pollution in communities near airports. Because of RNP’s precision and reliability, the technology can help air traffic controllers reduce flight delays and alleviate air traffic congestion. GE has designed and deployed more than 345 RNP flight paths around the world since 2003.

GE Aviation, an operating unit of GE (NYSE: GE), is a world-leading provider of jet engines, components and integrated systems for commercial and military aircraft. GE Aviation has a global service network to support these offerings. GE Aviation Systems LLC, GE Aviation Systems Ltd, and Naverus, Inc. are subsidiaries of GE. For more information, visit us at www.ge.com/aviation. Follow GE on Twitter at http://twitter.com/GEAviation and YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/GEAviation.

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GE Aviation develops and implements technologies that provide significant economic and environmental benefits to airlines, airports and the communities they serve. GE Aviation’s PBN Services unit is a world leader in the design and deployment of Performance-based Navigation and is working with aircraft operators and air traffic management providers in China, South and Central America, the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Europe to implement PBN solutions. Its RNP Services is an ecomagination qualified product. Learn more about GE’s PBN Services at: www.naverus.com.