Etihad Airways, Airbus operate first flight using RNP-AR

An Etihad Airways Airbus A330-200 has become the first aircraft in the region to perform the environment friendly RNP-AR (Required Navigation Performance — Authorization Required) approach to Abu Dhabi International Airport.
The demonstration flight, which arrived from Bahrain yesterday, marks the beginning of full RNP-AR implementation within Abu Dhabi's airspace.
This high precision navigation technology, designed by Airbus' Performance Based Navigation (PBN) subsidiary, Quovadis, utilizes continuous descent operations and shorter trajectories that in turn shorten the approach paths to the runway thereby reducing noise, flight times and minimizing fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.
This will reduce the fuel consumption between 100 and 200 kg per approach resulting in a reduction of CO2 emissions by at least 20,000 tons per year.
Along with Etihad Airways and Quovadis, other partners in this project include the Abu Dhabi Airport Company (ADAC), UAE General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), and ADAC's Air Traffic Controllers.
Etihad Airways' COO, Richard Hill, said: "Etihad Airways is keen on promoting efficient flights with as little environmental impact as possible. This project is very important for us and we are pleased to have partnered with Quovadis, ADAC and GCAA to make Abu Dhabi's air space more efficient.
"We are looking forward to flying RNP-AR approaches in Abu Dhabi and in other destinations where they have been implemented."
Sebastien Borel, Quovadis' commercial director, said: "Changing airspace and bringing new concepts is always very challenging and here this has been achieved through cooperation and coordination. Indeed, the team in Abu Dhabi is committed to bring what is best to their airspace."
"This project illustrates the potential for better Air Traffic Management (ATM) practices. Airbus has assembled a suite of innovative technologies and procedures to optimize operations in busy airspaces," Christian Scherer, Airbus' EVP of strategy and future programs, said.