The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) today issued civil aviation requirements (CAR) for the much talked of Performance Based Navigation (PBN) system that aims to reduce the amount of time that aircraft need to hover above airports before being cleared to land.

DGCA has put the draft CAR up for public scrutiny on its website and has invited comments from those interested by August 13. The formulation of a draft CAR is one of the first steps necessary for formulation of a firm policy on the new navigation system. PBN aims to halve the amount of time spent by aircraft while waiting to land- which can go up to over an hour at airports like Delhi and Mumbai during certain seasons when congestion is exceptionally high.

It would do this by reducing the longitudinal distance between aircraft to three-five nautical miles from the existing eight nautical miles, enabling greater use of limited airspace. The PBN system is able to do this since it allows aircraft to supplement traditional ground-based navigation systems with installed on-board technology.

The draft CAR issued today stipulates stringent aircraft airworthiness norms as well as operational and flight crew training requirements necessary for the new system to take-off. It sets down the minimum standards that need to be met by operators in order to obtain airworthiness and operational approvals.

It also lays down performance standards that on-board equipment like navigation sensors would need to meet in terms of their accuracy, continuity and functionality. While the draft CAR is now in place, the DGCA is also working on reducing the lateral displacement of aircraft in flight.

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