EGNOS: A Great Solution for Regional Aviation

With the launch of LPV 200, the European GNSS Agency (GSA) says EGNOS is ready to benefit regional aviation in Europe.

Exhibiting and presenting at the annual European Regions Airline Association (ERA) General Assembly and ERA Operations Group, held October 13-15 in Berlin, the GSA showed more than 50 regional operators and airlines how they can benefit from EGNOS.
According to the GSA, the priority is to focus on small and regional airports where EGNOS can provide the biggest benefits for operators. According to the GSA Market Development Department, currently, many of these small and regional airports cannot afford the necessary ground infrastructure needed for instrument-based landing procedures.

LPV 200 for Regional Operators

The GSA recently declared the LPV 200 service, the latest iteration of an APV SBAS supported Localizer Performance with Vertical Guidance service. This service will benefit operators even more as it provides the same level of operations as CAT I, meaning safer approaches and improved accessibility with no need to install or maintain conventional, ground-based navigation aids.

The new service level enables aircraft approaches that are operationally equivalent to ILS CAT I, providing lateral and angular vertical guidance without the need for visual contact with the ground until a Decision Height (DH) of down to only 200 ft. above the runway.

         Also Read: GSA Talks EGNOS and Aviation at Annual Service Provision Workshop

Currently, there are 217 LPV serving 137 airports and 70 runway ends served by EGNOS-enabled APV Baro. By 2018, 440 LPV approaches are planned, with numerous LPV publications expected in the United Kingdom, Sweden, Austria, the Slovak Republic, and Spain – and a significant increase in new plans in Belgium and Germany in the coming years. More so, many popular regional aircraft are also coming EGNOS-ready. For example, the latest editions to the ATR family of regional aircraft, the ATR42-600 and ATR72-600, as well as other turboprop aircraft, are LPV capable.

The GSA notes it is seeing a growing interest in LPV for commercial operators in Scandinavia. “EGNOS enhances the integrity and accuracy of GPS and gives us the possibility to fly approaches following a vertical glide path,” explains Richard Kongsteien, Vice President and COO of Widerøe. “This means improved safety at airports with only a non-precision approach in place, so we are really looking forward to getting APV I coverage in northern Norway.”

Other airlines and operators currently using EGNOS include Air Nostrum, Aurigny Air Services, Hop Airlines and Luxair, among others.

Another regional server benefiting from EGNOS is Aurigny Air Services. The company says EGNOS allows them to operate even in poor weather conditions. At the ERA Operations Group meeting, held during the ERA General Assembly, Captain David Rice of Aurigny presented the company’s use of EGNOS, stressing the stability of the service. He said LPV was more stable than even the ILS approach, and is not affected by deviations in the localizer or glide path caused by other aircraft. He further noted that EGNOS-based approaches reduce the pilot’s workload by removing the need to switch between autopilot modes. As the EGNOS service level increases, Rice said the savings from not having to make ILS maintenance or replacement investments will more than recover any initial investment made in LPV procedures. 

Rules and Regulations

The GSA is focused on assisting airspace users and airports in implementing LPV, offering guidance for the approval and implementation process and information on the status of upcoming applicable regulations. The Agency’s objective is to contribute to the harmonisation of PBN implementation at the European level, following ICAO safety global goals. Along this line, the GSA has promoted the development of guidelines intended for Airports/ANSPs and Airspace Users in order to help with the process of implementing LPV, including LPV 200 implementation. Also, technical instructions to obtain RNP APCH operational approval to LPV minima in Europe will be issued in the coming days – which aims to help Regional Operators during the operational approval process.

The EASA PBN IR is an important regulatory milestone at the European level, as it announces deadlines for some PBN specifications, including for APV and RNP1. The GSA is actively looking for an agreed and common position with other stakeholders, including Eurocontrol and ESSP, proposing feasible dates for APV implementation mandate. This APV implementation mandate requires APV in all instrument runways where only non-precision approaches are available – benefiting Regional Operators by giving them safer alternatives to non-precision approaches.

The GSA is also funding projects aimed at upgrading the avionics of original operators, such as Air Baltic, Eastern Airways, and Hop Airlines. According to the Agency, the results of the first aviation grants will bring new Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) or upgrade solutions, helping operators upgrade their current fleets. With this developed, it follows that other airlines can upgrade without developing new STC, thus reducing cost and helping to foster EGNOS adoption.

More Information

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