Kent, Wash. -- China Eastern this week completed a PBN (Performance-based Navigation) validation flight at Lhasa Gonggar Airport in a Boeing 737. The successful flight is the first RNP AR (Required Navigation Performance) implementation of this aircraft at an airport over 10,000 feet - Lhasa's elevation is 11,691 feet. The new procedures, designed by Naverus, a GE Aviation business, will increase safety and accessibility for China Eastern's fleet of B737s at Lhasa, located in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China.
The new approach and departure procedures allow China Eastern to schedule B737 nighttime operations into Lhasa. Without the RNP AR procedures, China Eastern is only able to operate at Lhasa during daylight hours in good weather. The airport is located in the rugged peaks of the Himalayan Mountains where poor weather is common, causing China Eastern to divert or cancel many of its daily operations into Lhasa. RNP is an advanced form of PBN that ensures the aircraft adheres to a very precise flight path. This allows pilots to land during periods of lower cloud cover, which means fewer flights are diverted.
Earlier this year, Naverus also assisted China Eastern with RNP validation for its fleet of A319s at both Lhasa and Yushu airports. Naverus also has designed and validated RNP procedures at several other Chinese airports, including Linzhi, Bangda and Jiuzhaigou.
PBN unleashes the full potential of the aircraft to fly precisely-defined paths without relying on ground-based radio-navigation signals. RNP ensures the aircraft does not stray from the path, and provides additional navigational flexibility, such as custom-tailored, curved paths through mountainous terrain.
"Naverus congratulates China Eastern on this aviation milestone at Lhasa," said Naverus CEO Steve Forte. "They are committed to providing customers with safer, more efficient flights into their country's terrain-challenged regions."
PBN procedures have the ability to simultaneously improve fuel efficiency, reduce aircraft emissions and noise, improve airspace system capacity and improve airline reliability. Naverus Inc., a GE Aviation business, is a global leader in the development and implementation of Performance-based Navigation and is working with aircraft operators and air traffic management providers in China, South and Central America, the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Europe to implement PBN solutions.
GE Aviation, an operating unit of GE (NYSE: GE), is a world-leading provider of jet engines, components and integrated systems for commercial and military aircraft. GE Aviation has a global service network to support these offerings.