Safety Management
Runway and Aerodrome Safety
Operational and On-board Safety
Accident Investigation
Safety Audits
Monitoring and Assistance Review Board
Training
Regional Safety Coordination
Technical Cooperation and Assistance Projects
Other Safety Initiatives
Air Navigation Capacity and Efficiency
Performance-based Navigation
Air Traffic Management: Airspace
Meteorology
Aviation Frequency Spectrum
Collaborative Arrangement for the Prevention and Management of Public Health Events in Civil Aviation
Emergency Response
Performance-based Navigation (PBN)
Global Status Update
Implementation of PBN continues to grow significantly throughout the world. Currently, 104 countries or approximately 55 per cent of Member States have committed to PBN by publishing a State PBN Implementation Plan. As well, with the constant year-over-year increase in the global number of PBN instrument flight procedures — arrivals, departures and approaches (including those with vertical guidance), over half of the world’s international runways now have PBN capability.
Instrument Procedure Design Criteria for PBN
To support the use of all PBN navigation specifications and to improve upon current approach criteria, a significant amendment to the Procedures for Air Navigation Services — Aircraft Operations, Volume II — Construction of Visual and Instrument Flight Procedures (Doc 8168) was developed and approved for implementation in 2014. This amendment results in design criteria to support four new PBN navigation specifications as associated functional requirements, changes that support the refined satellite-based augmentation system (SBAS) and ground-based augmentation system (GBAS) performance requirements, revised barometric vertical navigation (Baro-VNAV) design criteria that reduce complexity and improve approach minima, and finally the incorporation of vertical guidance and point-in-space operations for helicopters.
Global Go Team Visits and Regional Implementation Initiatives
IATA and ICAO agreed to a second phase of Global Go Teams visits, with the emphasis on airspace design and operational approval training. Visits were made to Miami (Central and South America), Johannesburg (Africa), and Bangkok (Asia-Pacific). A fourth visit to United Arab Emirates is scheduled for January 2014. In addition, regional outreach initiatives included PBN Task Force visits/meetings (Kazakhstan, Russian Federation, Cyprus, France and Senegal), PBN procedure design courses (China, Mexico), workshops on airspace design and OPS approval (Mexico City) and a PBN Route Network Development Working Group meeting (Nairobi).
On-line PBN Courses and PBN-related Documentation
PBN online courses in airspace design and OPS approval were developed to support the Go Team Visits and improve overall knowledge. ICAO also finalized and made available amended and new PBN documentation, including the Performance-based Navigation (PBN) Manual (Doc 9613, 4th Edition), the PBN Operational Approval Manual (Doc 9997), the Manual on the use of PBN in Airspace Design (Doc 9992) and the Continuous Climb Operations Manual (Doc 9993).
Establishment of APAC Regional Sub-Office and AFI Flight Procedures Programme (FPP) Office
In June, the Asia-Pacific (APAC) FPP Office was integrated into the Asia/Pacific regional sub-office, responsible for improving airspace organization and management to maximize air traffic management performance across the APAC region. As well, ICAO, in cooperation with DGAC France and ASECNA, established the Africa-Indian Ocean (AFI) FPP Office in Dakar, Senegal, to assist States with developing sustainable PBN capability in the instrument flight procedure, airspace design and OPS approval domains.
