Aviation Benefits from Satellite Navigation

The global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) benefit aviation by enabling aircraft to fly direct from departure to destination using the most fuel-efficient routes and to navigate complicated terrain at low altitude. Satellite navigation provides the flexibility to design new procedures that enable aircraft to fly closer together to increase the arrival and departure rates and fly continuous climb and descent operations to minimize fuel consumption, noise, and carbon emissions. Using the language of the aviation community, GNSS enables performance-based navigation, which consists of area navigation (RNAV) and required navigation performance (RNP). Both RNAV and RNP enable unrestricted point-to-point flight paths. RNP differs from RNAV, because it also provides a monitoring and alerting function to warn the pilot when a correction is required, enabling aircraft to fly tighter flight paths. GNSS is the only navigation source approved for RNP operations. This article introduces these new capabilities, and the GNSS augmentations needed to ensure that the evolution of air navigation remains safe.