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Luxembourg's Air Navigation Administration (ANA) receives EGNOS award in Rome ANA goes for satellite navigation
Every year the European Satellite Services Provider (ESSP) and the European Global Navigation Satellite Systems Agency (GSA) organize what is known as the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS) Annual Workshop. This year the workshop took place in Rome on the 24th and 25th of September.
During this event, a special recognition was made to Luxembourg's Air Navigation Administration (ANA) for having recently signed an EGNOS Working Agreement and having published its first EGNOS-based procedure. The EGNOS Service Provision contract is funded by the European Union and managed through the European Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) Agency (GSA), with a clear mandate to help foster the use of satellite navigation within Europe and particularly in the domain of aviation.
The implementation of performance based navigation (PBN) procedures based on EGNOS is planned at Luxembourg airport (ELLX) for February 2020.
As air travel has evolved, methods of navigation have improved to give operators more flexibility. Under the umbrella of area navigation, there are conventional and PBN methods. PBN make use of modern satellite technology and involve a major shift from conventional ground-based navigation and procedures to satellite-based navigation and area navigation procedures. PBN is more accurate and allows for shorter more direct routes, as well as more efficient take-offs and landings. This will help to reduce airport and airspace congestion, improve safety even further, reduce fuel burn and noise impacts and cut aircraft-CO2-emissions. Furthermore, even if space-based augmentation systems (SBAS) can currently only provide up to Cat I minima, SBAS does however not need an additional ground station, which gives it an advantage in terms of cost and maintenance.
With new technologies come new challenges such as the assurance of adequate signal strength. The agreement between ESSP and ANA assures that Luxembourg airspace users can have full confidence in the procedures offered by ANA in cooperation with ESSP.
By signing the EGNOS Working Agreement and implementing PBN procedures, ANA is contributing to the increase of airspace efficiency and the optimisation of airspace use.