GE Aviation has signed an agreement to offer technical assistance for the Airports Authority of India (AAI) to expedite the implementation of required navigation performance (RNP) flight paths and improve airspace efficiency across the country.
Both companies will further collaborate to deploy the efficient procedures at Bengaluru, Mangalore and Guwahati airports in India with the help of the US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) grant.
In order to support RNP operations approval for an Indian airline, GE will also work together with India’s regulator Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
Following the implementation of flight paths and their operational use, a report will be released documenting the actual benefits of the flight paths.
The RNP flight paths procedures enable to shorten the distance an aircraft has to fly en-route, reduce fuel consumption, lower emissions and noise pollution in nearby airports surroundings.
An advanced form of Performance-based Navigation (PBN) technology, RNP’s precision and reliability can help air traffic controllers decrease flight delays and ease air traffic congestion.
GE Aviation flight efficiency services general manager Giovanni Spitale said: “India has more than 50 mid-sized airports, including Mangalore, which could benefit immediately with track mile and fuel savings from RNP.
“In the long term, India could realize 80,000t of fuel and 252,000t of CO2 reduced annually by implementing RNP across the country.”
A report by Center for Aviation (CAPA) highlights that India’s aviation sector is one of the fastest growing markets across the globe. During the past decade, domestic air traffic has more than quadrupled to 60 million while international traffic tripled over to 40 million.
