Performance Based Navigation (PBN): Delivering for the Environment
The consistent growth in aviation industry demands all the stakeholders to play a proactive role and Airports Authority of India (AAI) has been a forerunner to introduce and adopt emerging technologies to meet the demand. Performance Based Navigation (PBN) is a term used to describe the broad range of technologies that are moving aviation away from a ground-based navigation system towards a system that relies more on the performance and capabilities of equipment on board the aircraft. Next-generation aircrafts have very advanced avionics that permit aircraft to fly precise and repeatable 3D flight-path with the aid of ground-based / space-based / on-board avionics or combination of these. Performance Based Navigation (PBN) leverages this advanced navigation technology to provide sustainable, repeatable and measurable benefits to capable aircrafts through efficient 3D trajectories. Large amount of fuel saving, reduced carbon emissions, enhanced safety, will not only reduce cockpit workload but also reduces the workload of air traffic controllers significantly are some of the major benefits of PBN implementation. PBN helps in significant reduction of pollutants like mononitrogen oxides and carbon monoxide. Besides offering environmental benefits by saving fuel, reducing C02 emissions, the PBN also eliminates high-thrust go-arounds. PBN enables continuous climb operations (CCO), continuous descent operations (CDO) and reduced flight variance for more predictable operations. Minimizing missed approaches or diversions, reduced probability of airborne holding from airspace and airport capacity gains, separation standards enabling more aircraft operating on optimum trajectories can also be streamlined with PBN. It will also further reduce the probability of contingency fuel requirements owing to system predictability and reliability. A recent study shows an amount of 29,722,644 Kg/annum emission reduction can be achieved
by implementation of PBN/SBAS (GAGAN)1 based approach procedures. :
Environmental and Community Considerations for PBN Implementation in India
As part of an ANSP’s (Air Navigation Service provider) and Airport Authority’s accountability to the general public and all stakeholders, the importance of developing and maintaining a strong strategy for supporting and promoting community involvement in developing and deploying new routes is the key to successful PBN implementation. Community involvement will be part of the standard change management processes established to ensure noise-sensitive areas are identified and appropriately accounted for in procedure design to the degree that this is practical. ANSPs should strive to establish a standard, repeatable process to ensure productive and effective community involvement when proposing PBN flight procedures. The outcome of such processes will inform and influence ANSP decision-making beyond that required by regulation. AAI is committed to take every initiative to ensure optimum reduction in carbon emission resulting from aircraft operation.
Reference:
1. The GPS Aided GEO Augmented Navigation (GAGAN) is an implementation of a regional satellite-based augmentation system (SBAS) jointly developed by ISRO and AAI. The most important and beneficial application of GAGAN in aviation is the possibility to allow the aircraft to perform approaches with vertical guidance (LPV approaches) with no need of ground navigation aids infrastructure. Due to the lower cost of the required on-board avionics equipment to perform these approaches, they are better suited for Regional Aviation, General Aviation and Helicopters. The Specification of shorter flight paths and vertical profiles that lower thrust levels allow for lower noise operations. There is also an increased opportunity for placement of flight paths over non-noise sensitive areas and reduced aerodynamic noise from optimum drag profiles. Delivering environmentally responsible, SBAS (GAGAN) flight procedures provides considerable reduction of the aircraft noise in specific noise-sensitive locations surrounding of the airports. Such locations may include residential, educational, health facilities, religious sites, historic locations, parks, recreational areas and wilderness sites among others.