ICAO demands PBN now

Speaking on behalf of the group, ICAO’s President Roberto Kobeh González, said that PBN “will help reduce airport and airspace congestion, conserve fuel and protect the environment, reduce the impact of aircraft noise near airports, and ensure reliable, all-weather operations. It will also provide operators with greater flexibility, while increasing  safety and efficiency.”
 
  “Our collective mission has always been to provide the citizens of the world with the safest and most efficient air transport system possible. Performance-based Navigation is vital to helping us fulfill our mission today and in the future,” he stressed.
 
PBN sets clear performance requirements for any given flight operation. It involves a major shift from conventional ground-based navigation aids and procedures to satellite-based navigation aids and area navigation procedures, which are more accurate and allow for shorter, more direct routes between two given points, as well as more efficient take-offs and landings. This reduces fuel burn, airport and airspace congestion, and aircraft emissions. 
 
For example, Qantas and AirServices Australia agreed to develop PBN arrival procedures for
Australian airports.  Phase 1 included approaches for Brisbane to be flown by Qantas’ Boeing 737’s. In the first year,  Qantas flew 1612 PBN approaches to Brisbane in low visibility conditions, which reduced normal distance flown by 17,300 nautical miles and reduced CO2 emissions by 650,000 kg. Overall, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) estimates that shorter PBN routes could cut CO2 emissions by 13 million tonnes per year if globally implemented. 
 
 PBN also improves customer service, by reducing diversions caused by low visibility weather conditions and providing better access to “weather-challenged” destinations, while helping to improve overall on-time performance by airlines.
 
In his statement, Mr. Kobeh emphasized that “the sooner we implement Performance-based
Navigation, the sooner we will reap its enormous benefits. This was recognized by the 36th Session of the ICAO Assembly in 2007 when it urged all Member States of the Organization to have PBN implementation plans ready by 2009.”  The Declaration calls upon all leaders of the civil aviation community to actively implement PBN in accordance with ICAO provisions. It also reaffirms that global cooperation is essential to the success of the undertaking.