Qantas is launching required navigation performance (RNP) approaches and departures to and from Cairns airport in Queensland as part of the airline's ongoing programme to implement RNP operations in Australia.
RNP approaches are already deployed by the airline at Sydney and Canberra airports, and it is expected that the Gold Coast, Townsville, Hobart, Ayers Rock Uluru and Alice Springs will be added later this month. Proving flights were conducted at Cairns in early September, followed by approval from the country's Civil Aviation Safety Authority.
RNP approach and departure procedures make use of the GPS navigation on the airline's Boeing 737-800s to provide greater navigation precision. RNP procedures provide more reliable and predictable flight paths, time and fuel savings, shorter route distances, reduced aircraft emissions and reduced aircraft noise. "RNP enables more accurate flightpaths than are possible with conventional navigation aids," says Qantas chief pilot Capt Chris Manning. Qantas operates 121 flights a week into and out of Cairns, 47 of which are operated by the 737-800.
■ Airservices Australia is set to offer improved surveillance across Tasmania following a deal with Sensis to design and install a wide-area multilateration (WAM) system. Multilateration systems, which are more accurate than secondary radar, determine position through triangulation of data received from aircraft via a number of receiver stations on the basis of time difference. The system will be installed next year and will be compared with the existing secondary radar system to obtain regulatory approval for aircraft separation, which is expected in early 2008. The system is also being evaluated for use at Sydney airport.
Surveillance coverage over Tasmania was put in the spotlight in early 2004 after the introduction of Class E airspace with the country's National Airspace System programme, which was blamed for a serious air proximity incident between a Virgin Blue Boeing 737-700 and a Socata Tobago 19km (10nm) from Launceston, Tasmania.
Source: Flight International
