The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) approved Required Navigation Performance (RNP) to Instrument Landing System (ILS) and public Required Navigation Performance Authorization Required (RNP AR) procedures at Zhangjiajie Airport with the assistance of Quovadis, an Airbus ProSky company.
According to Quovadis, RNP to ILS trajectories allows low ILS minima, while providing accurate guidance during initial and intermediate approach. This eliminates unwanted cockpit alarms sometimes experienced by crews during the execution of conventional procedures. The benefits for RNP AR procedures at Zhangjiajie Airport provide shorter track with up to 12nm savings, per approach, on one runway and 9nm on the other. In addition, according to the company, the airspace redesign will allow for better separation of departures and arrivals, leading to increased airspace capacity during peak hours.
New RNP AR Engine Out Standard Instrument Departures (EOSID) have also been designed, providing a fully-guided and protected track to be followed in an unlikely event of engine failure at takeoff. Because RNP procedures typically only rely on Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) positioning, these innovative RNP AR procedures will also serve as a backup when ground navaids are out of service.
"We are happy to be the launch operator of this project with Quovadis. This enables us to have some of the most modern design procedures available and allow us to choose different trajectories to suit our needs, i.e. RNP AR for shorter track when the weather is good, and RNP to ILS when lower landing minima are needed," said Zhang Yongqiang, Deputy General Manager of Operational Standards, China Southern Airlines.