Julian Moxon/PARIS
Europe is pressing ahead with the introduction of a high fidelity complement to the global navigation satellite system (GNSS) despite repeated accusations from the Association of European Airlines (AEA)that it "-fails to provide any operational benefits for users".
Final negotiations are now under way with the Thomson-CSF-led industrial group for the Ecu160-200 million ($175-218 million) contract to build the ground infrastructure element of the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay System (Egnos). The contract is due to be awarded in August. A cost benefit analysis is also under way, along with an assessment of the avionics. Both studies will be ready during the third quarter of this year.
Eurocontrol, the European Space Agency and the European Commission are responsible for introducing the Egnos, which, in its initial form, will improve GNSS navigation accuracy from 100m (330ft) down to 7m - adequate for primary-means navigation, with the longer term hope of sole-means navigation capability if a further two satellite transponders are bought into service.
Eurocontrol says that the Egnos should be certificated by the end of 2002 and working together with its partner systems in the USA and Japan by 2005. The first receivers are due to be available before the end of the year, and will be used as part of a major programme to gather and compare GNSS data with that received from conventional systems aboard civil aircraft - work that is required for certification.
"We're starting from scratch to validate the whole GNSS concept. This has not yet been undertaken in either the USA or Europe," says Luc Tytgat, the EC's Egnos representative." Lufthansa has already begun data gathering aboard an Airbus A340, and is due to be joined by British Airways later this year, using a Boeing 747. Several other major carriers are also set to become involved.
The AEA has been campaigning strongly for an end to the Egnos programme, insisting that, besides the lack of operational benefits, the aviation community will have to pay for a system that will benefit ground-based users of the Egnos as well, since it has the only mechanism for collecting fees.
Tytgat replies there "-never was any intention" to force aviation to pay for other users. "We have made this clear from the beginning. He points out that the AEA is "-just an office in Brussels-we're going to the airlines direct and they're already convinced". He adds, however, that "-clearly, they want to see the benefits before they commit".
Source: Flight International
