EGNOS Safety of Life, 15 years of operationality
The 15th anniversary of the declaration of the EGNOS Safety of Life Service, gives us the opportunity to celebrate this milestone that marked a major step forward in the use of satellite navigation for safety-critical aviation operations. Declared operational on 2 March 2011, the service enables pilots to rely on satellite-based guidance during the most critical phase of flight: approach and landing.
The Safety of Life (SoL) service is a key component of European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS), Europe’s satellite-based augmentation system. By enhancing Global Navigation Satellite System signals with improved accuracy and integrity information, EGNOS ensures that users are alerted within seconds if the navigation signal cannot be trusted. This integrity capability is essential for safety-critical applications where lives could be at risk if positioning information becomes unreliable.
The very first EGNOS-based approach procedure was published in March 2011 in Pau, France, shortly after the service declaration. Since then, adoption has grown steadily across Europe. Today, more than 1,000 EGNOS-enabled approach procedures are available across EU27 countries as well as Switzerland, Iceland, Norway, Serbia and Montenegro, and the Bailiwicks of Guernsey and Jersey. These procedures enable aircraft to perform approaches with vertical guidance using satellite navigation, increasing safety and accessibility at airports that may not have traditional ground-based navigation infrastructure.
A major technological milestone followed in 2015 with the introduction of the LPV200 service level (Localiser Performance with Vertical Guidance). LPV200 allows aircraft to conduct approaches down to a decision height of 200 feet, providing lateral and vertical guidance comparable to a Category I instrument landing system but without requiring costly ground equipment at the airport.
This capability has expanded access to airports, reduced delays and diversions during poor weather conditions and contributed to more efficient flight operations across Europe.
Over the past 15 years, the EGNOS Safety of Life service has become a cornerstone of European aviation safety. By enabling satellite-based precision approaches, it improves operational efficiency, supports regional airport connectivity and enhances resilience in the European air navigation system. At the same time, it reduces infrastructure costs and contributes to more environmentally efficient flight operations through optimized flight paths.
“From the first LPV approach in Pau in 2011 to over 1,000 procedures across Europe today, the EGNOS Safety of Life service has become a cornerstone of satellite-enabled aviation safety. This anniversary is a testament to the strength of the European Union Space Programme and its tangible benefits for pilots, airports and passengers,” declared Jean-Marc Piéplu, Head of EGNOS exploitation department.
Behind these achievements stands the continuous work of EUSPA and the European Commission, which ensure the provision and evolution of EGNOS services while supporting aviation stakeholders in their adoption. Together with partners across the aviation ecosystem, EUSPA continues to expand the availability of EGNOS-enabled procedures and prepare the system for future evolutions.
Fifteen years after its declaration, the EGNOS Safety of Life service remains a powerful example of how European space infrastructure delivers tangible benefits on the ground, and in the air.
Learn more about the EGNOS SoL Service
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