Application of Required Navigation Performance in High-Traffic Conditions for Houston Airspace

Boeing has developed a near-term operational concept for implementation in the 20082012 timeframe. The concept is fundamentally based on 3D paths enabling the execution of flight trajectories with FMS navigational capabilities and navigational performance bounds. Houston airspace is the first target airspace for implementation of this concept. Based on an in-depth analysis of current operational constraints in Houston a set of conceptual designs has been derived that applies concept elements in Houston airspace. The paper presents programmatic background of the Houston activity, describes the conceptual designs and presents associated capacity and efficiency benefits of the proposed designs.