Lanzarote is now one of the seven airports in Spain where it is possible to land using satellite navigation, according to Enaire, the company that manages air navigation in the country and that has launched this service on runway 03 of the César Manrique Airport.
According to the company, these new approach procedures based on the GPS constellation and the European satellite navigation system EGNOS, "do not depend on terrestrial radio aids, so they represent a cost-effective solution compared to conventional approaches, which are based on the use of systems installed on the ground."
However, to carry out these new landings, based on the use of satellite navigation, it indicates that "the aircraft must be properly equipped and its crew prepared with the necessary training."
Enaire states that this increases "the efficiency of aircraft operations and the accessibility to runway 03, further improving airport safety." In order to allow airlines to land in this way, it points out that it has carried out "the necessary safety studies that have been duly approved by the State Aviation Safety Agency (AESA)." "The improvement of the EGNOS system's performance in the archipelago in recent months has been a decisive element for the successful completion of the project," he notes.
First Canary Island airport with EGNOS-based approaches
With the implementation of these maneuvers in Lanzarote, Spain now has a total of seven airports equipped with satellite navigation-based procedures, the others being Almería, Seve Ballesteros Santander, Fuerteventura, Valencia, Palma and Málaga-Costa del Sol. The latter airport has a satellite navigation system, called GBAS, for precision operations in low visibility conditions.
Lanzarote has had these new satellite navigation-supported landings since May 23, including an EGNOS-based maneuver, being the fifth airport in Spain and the first in the Canary Islands to use this European system, which is also available in Santander, Almería, Valencia and Palma.
With these advances, Enaire states that it provides "airline users of these airports with new satellite navigation-based approaches from existing entry points." All this, "without the need to install additional ground infrastructure, with the economic savings and operational advantages that this entails," he adds.
