Performance-based navigation flight trials advance SESAR RISE project

MADRID, 11 March 2016. TAP Portugal, NAV Portugal, and Airbus ProSky in Blagnac, France, partnered to conduct flight trials to advance the SESAR JU Required Navigation Performance Implementation Synchronized in Europe (RISE) project, which aims to improve airport accessibility, enhance safety, and reduce environmental impact at airports throughout Europe. The demonstration flights took place in Madeira, where these procedures are expected to enhance safety by providing managed and repeatable procedures; improve airport accessibility by lowering approach minima; and reduce weather-related diversions.

“So far we’ve performed more than 40 flight trials at Madeira,” says Antonio Aguiar, TAP Portugal Flight Operations - technical support director, and RISE coordinator within TAP Portugal. “We are very pleased with the outcome of these trials since the procedures are easy to fly, leading consistently to zero deviation from the intended track, clearly improving overall efficiency.”

The Single European Sky ATM Research (SESAR) Joint Undertaking (JU) oversees the European air traffic management (ATM) system.

To enhance safety, improve flight efficiency, and airport accessibility, Airbus ProSky, part of “Services by Airbus,” and its partners launched the RISE project throughout southern Europe in autumn 2015.

In advance of the demonstration flight, Airbus ProSky, in partnership with NAV Portugal, trained the air traffic controllers on the performance-based navigation (PBN) procedures and captured controller feedback following the flights.

“We are pleased to hear the feedback on the procedures at Madeira. It represents how this project will allow more efficiency of flight operations,” Airbus ProSky General Manager Thomas Lagaillarde adds.

NAV Portugal published the procedures in anticipation of the trials. They are available on the NAV Portugal website to be accessible to the national and foreign aircraft operators who wish to apply for operational approval from the National Aviation Authority.

The Madeira flight trials are a portion of the more than 160 flight trials that will be conducted in collaboration with the partner airlines and air navigation service providers (ANSPs) through September 2016 in France, Greece, Cyprus, and Portugal. These trials will capture feedback from flight crew and air traffic controllers on the procedures in terms of fly-ability, safety, crew and air traffic controller workload, as well as assess savings in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and fuel consumption reduction.

Lead and co-financed by SESAR JU, the project is managed by Airbus ProSky, in collaboration with four air navigation service providers (ANSPs) – DCAC, NAV Portugal, DSNA, HCAA – and three airline operators -- Air France, Novair, and TAP Portugal. Together, these partners will conduct over 160 flight trials, demonstrating a range of PBN procedures, such as Required Navigation Performance (RNP) Approach, RNP AR, Visual RNAV, and RNP to Instrument Landing System (ILS) procedures, in France (Nice and Ajaccio); Portugal (Madeira and Horta), Greece (Corfu, Iraklion, Santorini, Mykonos) and Cyprus (Paphos, Larnaca).

SESAR (Single European Sky Air Traffic Management Research) was set up to modernize and harmonize ATM systems through the definition, development and deployment of innovative technological and operational solutions. Established in 2007, the SESAR Joint Undertaking (SJU) is a public-private partnership which pools the knowledge and resources of the entire ATM community in order to define, research, develop and validate SESAR Solutions. Founded by the European Union and Eurocontrol, the SJU currently has 15 members who together with their partners and affiliate associations represent over 80 companies working in Europe and beyond. The SJU also works closely with staff associations, regulators, airport operators, and the scientific community. In 2014, the SESAR Deployment Manager (SDM), comprised of air navigation service providers, airlines and the SESAR-related Deployment Airport Operators Group (SDAG), coordinates the implementation of the EU’s Pilot Common Project, the first set of SESAR Solutions to be deployed in a synchronized and timely manner across Europe.

Airbus, through “Services by Airbus”, offers end-to-end fleet lifecycle solutions for all its customers. The portfolio ranges from standalone services, to the most complete integrated solutions, including Flight Hour & Tailored Support packages, upgrades, training, e-solutions, engineering & maintenance, flight operations air traffic management, and material management services. The company, which boasts more than 40 years of experience in the aircraft industry and a worldwide network of more than 2,500 professionals, recently acquired Navtech, a flight operations solutions provider.