CAAP’s milestone through Performance Based Navigation
Air travel has grown by leaps and bounds. Despite the fiscal financial crisis that hounds many countries and the downgrading of the civil aviation industry from Category 1 by the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) in November 2007 and recently by the International Civil aviation Organization (ICAO) the, Philippine air travel continuous to be in full zip.
The increase in both local and international air traffic travels to different parts in Asia is evident by congesting air traffic. Fleets of aircraft servicing different hubs and plying many routes to and from various Asian cities have tripled. Intense promotional wars on low cost airfares changed the penchant of transport mode of the traveling public who used to take buses and ships.
In Davao International Airport alone, Air traffic has quadrupled in numbers in a span of one and a half decades. As a Senior Air Traffic Controller assigned at Davao Control Tower for sixteen years, I have witnessed how air travel landscape changed. Arriving and departing air traffic converge within Davao airspace anytime of the day. Surge of inbound traffic come by fives and six at almost the same time that the entire ramp bays are occupied. Long queues of passengers are seen boarding and getting off the planes. Every day, Davao International Airport becomes an hub bustling with air travel related activities and last flight daily leaves as late as midnight.
But while air travel increased, the available airspace, navigational aids and competence of personnel compliment remain the same. These odds consequently led to inevitable delays especially when the traffic in NAIA reached its maximum during the peak hours.
Since its creation in 2008 by virtue of the passage of the Bali Act 9497, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines became a government-owned and controlled corporation (GOCC). Bestowed with a quasi-judicial authority and quasi-legislative power, CAAP is delegated to redraft the intricate and dense topography of the Philippine civil aviation especially in the Air Traffic Service and to develop the aviation industry at par with the neighboring countries. With such task, CAAP is faced with a huge task to address the looming complications especially in the area of air traffic service brought about by the growing number of air traffic vis a vis the same airspace which full use have been limited by conventional air traffic management procedures and capabilities of the land based navigational aids.
Interestingly, CAAP stands up to the challenge and fearlessly faces the tasks head on. Two years ago, the CAAP management embarks on another milestone to reshape Philippine aviation topography through performance based navigation.
The increase in both local and international air traffic travels to different parts in Asia is evident by congesting air traffic. Fleets of aircraft servicing different hubs and plying many routes to and from various Asian cities have tripled. Intense promotional wars on low cost airfares changed the penchant of transport mode of the traveling public who used to take buses and ships.
In Davao International Airport alone, Air traffic has quadrupled in numbers in a span of one and a half decades. As a Senior Air Traffic Controller assigned at Davao Control Tower for sixteen years, I have witnessed how air travel landscape changed. Arriving and departing air traffic converge within Davao airspace anytime of the day. Surge of inbound traffic come by fives and six at almost the same time that the entire ramp bays are occupied. Long queues of passengers are seen boarding and getting off the planes. Every day, Davao International Airport becomes an hub bustling with air travel related activities and last flight daily leaves as late as midnight.
But while air travel increased, the available airspace, navigational aids and competence of personnel compliment remain the same. These odds consequently led to inevitable delays especially when the traffic in NAIA reached its maximum during the peak hours.
Since its creation in 2008 by virtue of the passage of the Bali Act 9497, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines became a government-owned and controlled corporation (GOCC). Bestowed with a quasi-judicial authority and quasi-legislative power, CAAP is delegated to redraft the intricate and dense topography of the Philippine civil aviation especially in the Air Traffic Service and to develop the aviation industry at par with the neighboring countries. With such task, CAAP is faced with a huge task to address the looming complications especially in the area of air traffic service brought about by the growing number of air traffic vis a vis the same airspace which full use have been limited by conventional air traffic management procedures and capabilities of the land based navigational aids.
Interestingly, CAAP stands up to the challenge and fearlessly faces the tasks head on. Two years ago, the CAAP management embarks on another milestone to reshape Philippine aviation topography through performance based navigation.
Cognizant that other neighboring countries are already enjoying the benefits of PBN, CAAP sent some air traffic controllers abroad to train as airspace designers.
These designers create Performance Based Navigation compliant airspace designs to address the need for more airspace capacity, ensure continuous civil aviation safety, while also reducing ground infrastructure investment expenses.
These designers create Performance Based Navigation compliant airspace designs to address the need for more airspace capacity, ensure continuous civil aviation safety, while also reducing ground infrastructure investment expenses.
This move is also in consonance with the ICAO Resolution A36-23 adopted in Montreal in September 2007 urging all States to implement RNAV and RNP air traffic services (ATS) routes and approach procedures in accordance with ICAO PBN concept described in the PBN Manual (Doc 9613)
ICAO and IATA training in Davao
Just recently, a five day training workshop on Performance Based Navigation was conducted by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Asia-Pacific Flight procedure programme and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) here in Davao City.
Spearheaded by the Airspace Procedure Design Division- Air Traffic Service, the nationwide event was attended by the Philippine Air Force Pilots and Air traffic controllers from major airports like Manila, Mactan, Davao, Subic, Clark, Palawan, Kalibo, Zamboanga, Bacolod and Tacloban.
Walter White, a former Air Traffic Controller and Noppadol Pringvanich, an Thai airline pilot were the ICAO programme instructors of the workshop. The trainees were taught the concept of the Performance Based Navigation and the basics of airspace designs. Specifically, the Davao Terminal Area (TMA) design was the first project of the group.
“Series of trainings PBN training had been going on conducted by Quovadis , the Airbus subsidiary company that conceptualize PBN. The November 7 to 11 training workshop here in Davao was the only one held outside Manila,” Jessicca Jamero, a CAAP Airspace designer trained in France and program coordinator of the PBN training revealed. Davao would be the first recipient of this new Air Traffic Management Procedures considering that air traffic has significantly grown fourfold in a span of a decade added by the fact that the terrain in the surrounding aerodrome is challenging.
What is Performance Based Navigation
Performance Based Navigation (PBN) is a concept that allows flying through accurately designed paths or airways without relying heavily on ground-based navigation aids.
The reliability of the ground based navigation like the DVOR/DME and ILS system aids are often compromised during power outage. To recall, the recent outage of the Manila DVOR/DME and ILS system NAIA June 2010, disrupted the orderly flow of air traffic that many flights were diverted to other aerodromes. The loss of revenue as offshoot of the unexpected outage reached billions of pesos.
With PBN, navigation is aided by Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) which provide predictable level of navigation performance in the course of flight of each aircraft. PBN ensures continuous civil aviation safety, allows direct, shorter routing and continuous descent operations (CDO) technique maximizes the benefit of reducing fuel burn, manages more stabilized approaches and consequently, effects the optimal use of airspace.
To date, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines through the Airspace Procedure Design Division lay the objectives of PBN implementation as follows to: take full advantage of the benefits of PBN; to be consistent in the implementation of RNAV and RNP ATS Routes and approach procedures with that of the Asia Pacific Region ICAO PBN Implementation Plan; ensure that the implementation of the Navigation aspect of CNS/ATM system is based on established operational requirements; develop a transition strategy from sensor-based navigation to area navigation that will minimize multiple equipment required on board an aircraft and on the ground; provide the time frame for the aviation community to comply with the corresponding requirements of different navigation applications that are defined to facilitate global harmonization of PBN implementation, and ensure a safe transition from conventional means of navigation to performance-based navigation.
Generally, PBN spells more advantages to the aviation industry service providers and users since it allows optimal use of airspace, , continuous and more reliable an use of satellite based navigation, requires less workload for air traffic controllers environment friendly with less fuel consumed.
The reliability of the ground based navigation like the DVOR/DME and ILS system aids are often compromised during power outage. To recall, the recent outage of the Manila DVOR/DME and ILS system NAIA June 2010, disrupted the orderly flow of air traffic that many flights were diverted to other aerodromes. The loss of revenue as offshoot of the unexpected outage reached billions of pesos.
With PBN, navigation is aided by Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) which provide predictable level of navigation performance in the course of flight of each aircraft. PBN ensures continuous civil aviation safety, allows direct, shorter routing and continuous descent operations (CDO) technique maximizes the benefit of reducing fuel burn, manages more stabilized approaches and consequently, effects the optimal use of airspace.
To date, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines through the Airspace Procedure Design Division lay the objectives of PBN implementation as follows to: take full advantage of the benefits of PBN; to be consistent in the implementation of RNAV and RNP ATS Routes and approach procedures with that of the Asia Pacific Region ICAO PBN Implementation Plan; ensure that the implementation of the Navigation aspect of CNS/ATM system is based on established operational requirements; develop a transition strategy from sensor-based navigation to area navigation that will minimize multiple equipment required on board an aircraft and on the ground; provide the time frame for the aviation community to comply with the corresponding requirements of different navigation applications that are defined to facilitate global harmonization of PBN implementation, and ensure a safe transition from conventional means of navigation to performance-based navigation.
Generally, PBN spells more advantages to the aviation industry service providers and users since it allows optimal use of airspace, , continuous and more reliable an use of satellite based navigation, requires less workload for air traffic controllers environment friendly with less fuel consumed.
Although still on its planning and designing stage, the implementation of Performance Based Navigation could be instrumental in CAAP’s drive to comply with the deadline set by Philippine government to make the country’s aviation achieve Category 1 status with Federal Aviation Authority by June 2012.
(Arlene Diana-Pasaje, Senior Air Traffic Controller, Davao Aerodrome/Approach Control Tower
Participant in the PBN Concept Workshop held in Davao City on November 7-11, 2011)
