Portugese luchtvaartdienst tekent overeenkomst met Europese GPS-dienst (en)

This agreement enables the publication of the first EGNOS-based approach procedures at Portuguese airports.

ESSP and NAV Portugal have just signed an EGNOS Working Agreement (EWA) as a key step for the implementation of EGNOS-based approach procedures (LPV procedures) at Portuguese airports.

The signature was sealed end of September by ESSP President Dirk Werquin and NAV Portugal President, Luis Ottolini Coimbra.

The EGNOS Working Agreement formalizes the operational and technical modalities between ESSP, the EGNOS service provider, and NAV Portugal, in order to support the operational introduction and use of EGNOS LPV (Localizer Performance with Vertical guidance) approaches in Portugal.

From now on, NAV-P can publish EGNOS-based procedures that will improve safety, accessibility and efficiency to pilots and operators at Portuguese airports.

EGNOS provides a cost effective alternative to ILS CAT I, offering similar performance, and it is free!.

“The use of EGNOS for LPV approach procedures is already a reality in Europe” Mr. Werquin said, “and we, as the EGNOS Service provider, are proud that airports in Portugal will start to benefit from the EGNOS service, as is being done in other European countries with EWA signed”.

NAV Portugal:

Navegação Aérea de Portugal - NAV Portugal, E.P.E's main mission is to provide air traffic services in the Flight Information Regions (FIR) under Portuguese responsibility (Lisbon and Santa Maria). It is also its duty to provide Aeronautical Information and maintain all the equipment and systems that support Air Traffic Management activity. The company has been contributing to the success of EGNOS from the early days.

EGNOS :

The European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service, is a Satellite-Based Augmentation System (SBAS) that improves the accuracy and provides integrity to the GPS Signal over most of Europe.The EC owns and manages the EGNOS system. ESA is the EGNOS design agent under a delegation agreement with the EC. Similar services are provided in North America by the Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS), in Japan by the Multifunctional Satellite Augmentation System (MSAS) and in India by the GAGAN System. Other similar Satellite Based Augmentation Systems (SBAS) are under study or development in other regions of the world.It is Europe's first venture into satellite navigation and a major stepping-stone towards Galileo, Europe's own global satellite navigation system for the future.

LPV :

LPV is a non-precision approach. It stands for Localizer Performance with Vertical Guidance and typically takes you down to 200-250 ft decision height.