An Airbus A321 operated by Swedish carrier Novair completed the last of ten flights today dedicated to testing performance based navigation (PBN) techniques that could result in reductions for emissions, noise and fuel.
Known as the Minimum CO2 in Terminal Manoeuvring Area (Mint), the project is part of the Atlantic Interoperability Initiative to Reduce Emissions (Aire). That initiative is an agreement forged between the EC and FAA to reduce CO2 emissions and take advantage of air traffic management best practices and mature technologies.
The first Mint flight with a Novair A321 occurred on 16 June using a newly-developed Required Navigation Performance (RNP) procedure at Stockholm's Arlanda airport.
Mint participants completed nine fights throughout the summer to capture data used in analysis of flight efficiency, aircraft navigation performance and noise. Five flights received a time constraint to meet at a waypoint during descent. The information collected from onboard flight data recorders was used to analyse performance through different vectors such as fuel efficiency, navigation accuracy and noise impact. Today's final flight included representatives from the EU Transport Council, airline operators, the media and Airbus SVP and head of ATM Eric Stefanello.
The test aircraft were equipped with Thales/General Electric Release 1A flight management systems, which provided a track-keeping accuracy to within the wingspan itself and stored wind-data modelled by the UK Met office from real-time wind measurements generated by other aircraft.
Cooperation among the Swedish Air Navigation Service Provider LFV, Arlanda airport, Novair and Airbus showed the flights demonstrated a lateral standard deviation of 0.01nm or 22 metres, which is less than the A321's wingspan. The different flights also demonstrated fuel savings of 145kg of fuel resulting linked to a optimised vertical descent profile, and 20kg in fuel savings through track mile reductions, which resulted in a CO2 reduction of 518kg.
During the trials the aircraft met the time requirement with an average time accuracy of 8.6 seconds.
The Novair flight completed today was the first to use a RNP AR procedure from the north to Arlanda, which produces a track mile reduction of 20nm, and a decrease in flight time of four minutes. Mint participants estimate roughly 350kg of fuel can be saved on each approach.
"With the full support of the industry, this, as well as follow on projects in Sweden and other locations in Europe, will demonstrate that the ultimate goals of Sesar can be achieved," says MINT project Manager Christer Forsberg, Avtech. Sesar is part of the European effort to overhaul the continent's air traffic management system, and is known as the Single European Sky ATM research programme.
Avtech provides project management and data analysis for Mint.
Source: Air Transport Intelligence news
