USTDA grant will help deploy Required Navigation Performance flight paths at three airports.
GE Aviation is providing technical support to air navigation service provider Airports Authority of India (AAI) to accelerate the deployment of Required Navigation Performance (RNP) flight paths throughout India. Through a U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) grant, GE Aviation and AAI will work together to deploy the efficient procedures at India's Bengaluru, Mangalore and Guwahati airports to improve airspace efficiency.
GE will also work with India's regulator Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to support RNP operations approval for an Indian airline. Once the flight paths are deployed and in use, a report documenting the actual benefits of the flight paths will be published.
India's aviation sector is one of the fastest growing aviation markets in the world according to the Center for Aviation (CAPA). In the last decade, domestic air traffic has more than quadrupled to 60 million while international traffic more than tripled to 40 million. The use of RNP flight paths can alleviate traffic congestion, excess fuel burn, noise levels around airports and flight delays from increased traffic.
"India has more than 50 mid-sized airports, including Mangalore, which could benefit immediately with track mile and fuel savings from RNP," said Giovanni Spitale, general manager of GE Aviation's Flight Efficiency Services. "In the long term, India could realize 80,000 tons of fuel and 252,000 tons of CO2 reduced annually by implementing RNP across the country[i]."
Bengaluru is the nation's fourth busiest airport for overall passenger traffic and can benefit from the capacity improvements promoted by RNP paths. Aircraft operating into Guwahati, located in the remote and mountainous northeast area of India, can benefit from the schedule reliability of RNP, furthering the economic growth and social inclusion agenda for the region.
Nalin Jain, Head, GE Aviation and Transportation, South Asia said, "GE is equipped to partner with India in the growth of its aviation industry. RNP will help the industry in enhancing its accuracy and performance by reducing delays in flights and air traffic congestion."
Performance-based Navigation (PBN) technology allows pilots to use onboard technology to follow a precise track, independent of ground-based navigation beacons that limit where the aircraft can go. RNP procedures, an advanced form of PBN technology, can be designed to shorten the distance an aircraft has to fly en-route, and to reduce fuel burn, exhaust emissions and noise pollution in communities near airports. Because of RNP's precision and reliability, the technology can help air traffic controllers reduce flight delays and alleviate air traffic congestion.
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About GE's presence in India
Present in India since 1902, GE works to innovate, partner and develop technology solutions in energy, healthcare, infrastructure and financial services that improve the quality of life in the country. With over 13,000 employees, GE's imagination is taking the nation to the future with ideas designed and developed in India - for India and for the rest of the world.
With more than 5,300 technologists, GE's research centers in Bangalore, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Chennai are developing new technologies for both India and the world while the 13 local manufacturing facilities bring products, services and technologies closer to the customers. GE in India has partnered with a number of Indian companies to develop localized solutions, meeting the needs of the country. Committed to social development across the world, GE in India is closely engaged with local communities on social and environmental issues. For more information visit us at www.ge.com/in and follow the conversation on @GEIndia
About GE
GE (NYSE: GE) is a diversified infrastructure, finance and media company taking on the world's toughest challenges. From aircraft engines and power generation to financial services, medical imaging, and television programming, GE operates in more than 140 countries and employs about 300,000 people worldwide. For more information, visit the company's Web site at www.ge.com.
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For additional information, please contact:
Sanjay Arora (+919654953233)
[email protected]
[i]Source: OAG worldwide schedule data, ICAO Aircraft Engine Emissions Databank, and GE standard assumptions.