During the Farnborough International Airshow (FIA), the European GNSS Agency (GSA) and the EBAA announced the launch of strategic discussions aimed at coordinating future joint venture actions to promote implementation of EGNOS at regional airports.

Following a strategic meeting held in May at EBACE2014 in Geneva, the EBAA has produced a list of high-potential airports that was further discussed during the European Space Solutions conference in Prague. At the Farnborough Airshow, the two signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to promote wider use of EGNOS at regional airports in Europe.   

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“The business aviation segment is a pioneer in the use of EGNOS and most new business aircraft are already equipped,” says GSA Executive Director, Carlo des Dorides. “This means operators can start using published LPV procedures immediately, without the need for any upgrades, just by obtaining the operational approval from the authority where the aircraft is registered.”
With ever increasing difficulties in gaining access to major hubs, maintaining all-weather access at secondary and tertiary airports is becoming increasingly important for the sector. Business aviation is now in a position to optimize access at more regional airports via the promotion of EGNOS-based landing procedures.

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“The aviation community stands to benefit greatly from EGNOS because it means safe access to small and medium sized airports without the need for expensive ground equipment,” says EBAA CEO Fabio Gamba. “Approach procedures have been published for around 100 airports, which is still a far cry from where we should be.”

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According to Gamba, a move towards satellite-based technology is well overdue – a fact made evident when comparing availability in Europe to that of the US. “We are proud to have signed this MoU with the GSA and, together, we are commitment to having many more procedures published in the near future,” he adds.

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More information:

The European GNSS Agency
EGNOS for Aviation
European Business Aviation Association