Atlantic Airways and Airbus announce further improvements to low visibility navigation

Atlantic Airways, national airline carrier of the Faroes Island, was approved by the Danish Transport Authorities to operate the world’s first Required Navigation Performance – Authorization Required (RNP AR) approach with a transition to the ILS and a Missed Approach in RNP AR 0.1 procedure at Vagar Airport. Atlantic Airways presented the approach today at the Airbus ProSky Regional PBN Seminar.

Following the great success of three A319’s Entry into Service, coupled with the first RNP AR 0.1 procedures in Europe – in partnership with Airbus ProSky (formerly Quovadis) – Atlantic Airways is continuing to enhance operations in Low Visibility Conditions and reducing the Decision Height.

In order to optimize regularity of flight operations and enhance safety, Atlantic Airways decided to investigate improvements in weather minima on Runway 30. Along w ith the Danish Transport Authorities, they have published new procedures combining the existing ILS approach followed by an RNP AR 0.1 curved missed approach.

The aim of combining Performance Based Navigation and ILS is to maximize the two technologies: the quality and comfort of a precision approach combined w ith a Missed Approach designed in RNP AR 0.1 allowing a significant reduction of the weather minima thanks to an accurate and reliable guiding system mod.

“Thanks to the new procedure, the weather minima compared to the conventional ILS have dropped by 225 feet – and the RNP to ILS approach is fully managed, under the Auto Pilot mode, without any offset issues and w ith a seamless transition from the RNP AR Approach to the ILS mode,” explained Senior Captain Jóhan Í Niðristovu, project manager.

Prior to publication, in order to demonstrate the validity of the procedure, Airbus ProSky, the Danish Transport Authorities and Atlantic Airways, performed intensive testing in the flight simulator, assessing aircraft behaviors on nominal andnon-nominal operations.

Paul-Franck Bijou, CEO of Airbus ProSky, remarked, “It is of our goal to support our partners in benefiting from the most advanced technologies to improve daily operations. The project is a success thanks to the close collaboration of all stakeholders.”