Why RNP Matters to Airports: The Path of Progress

Required Navigation Performance (RNP) flight paths are a new segment of the Federal Aviation Administration's Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen). Of several types of performance-based navigation being used in air traffic management today, RNP is the most advanced. RNP allows aircraft to have precise airport runway lateral and vertical guidance without relying on ground-based radio-navigation facilities. The author provides examples of RNP use from both Australia and China. RNP implementation issues, such as the need for an aircraft's approach paths to change if efficiency and environmental performance is to improve, are discussed.