PBN concepts await green light

Performance-based navigation (PBN) has the potential to unlock many of the safety, efficiency and capacity targets facing the aviation industry, and not surprisingly, it plays an important role in airspace modernisation programmes such as NextGen and SESAR (the Single European Sky ATM Research). It has the support of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), International Air Transport Association (IATA), national governments and industry, but its implementation remains fragmented and irregular. A series of new initiatives starting in 2010 are expected to raise the profile of the PBN concept and accelerate its implementation.

The PBN concept reached the aviation community in 2008 with the publication of the ICAO PBN Manual (Doc 9613) that documented global requirements for the first time. ICAO also launched the PBN Task Force, with representatives from across the industry, to address implementation issues. The work included regional educational seminars run by ICAO, Eurocontrol and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to explain PBN and its benefits to air navigation service providers and operators in different parts of the world.

PBN is important because it relies on an onboard area navigation system that accepts positioning information from ground- and space-based sensors; this facilitates route placement and improves track repeatability. The majority of today's commercial aircraft are equipped with onboard systems that meet required navigation performance (RNAV and RNP) specifications, yet they are still obliged to zig-zag between beacons on the ground. PBN enables aircraft to take advantage of more direct routes, as long as the aircraft is qualified for the route, the aircrew appropriately trained, and the airspace redesigned.