PARIS, 20 June 2011. Airport operators at Jiuzhai Huanglong Airport in the Sichuan province of China needed Required Navigation Performance (RNP) equipment and services to improve access and make the most of operational efficiency for airlines serving the airport. They found their solution from GE Aviation in Grand Rapids, Mich.GE Aviation will deploy an RNP program at Jiuzhai Huanglong Airport based on a network of GE-designed RNP paths. It is the first airport-sponsored RNP program in China, GE officials say, who made the announcement today at the Paris Air Show in Le Bourget, France.GE Aviation will work together with the airport and the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) to design and deploy precise approach and departure flight paths with vertical paths for the eight RNP-capable airlines that operate to Jiuzhai, GE Aviation officials say. 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, company officials say.
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 Airport, which is located at 11,311 feet elevation in the Himalayan Mountains -- the third highest airport in China.
RNP procedures can enable aircraft to fly precise paths with an accuracy of less than a wingspan to land in bad weather that otherwise could cause delays, cancellations, or flight diversions. Chinese airlines and CAAC are working with GE to deploy PBN (Performance-based Navigation) solutions that align with China’s PBN Implementation Roadmap.
For more information contact GE Aviation online at www.geae.com, the Civil Aviation Administration of China at www.caac.gov.cn, or the Paris Air Show at www.paris-air-show.com.
