Originally Posted by rennaps
Full article here:
Airbus and Etihad Airways Begin Full RNP-AR Implementation in Abu Dhabi Terminal Airspace
RNP-AR requires expensive on-board equipment and extensive crew training. At the moment the RNP-AR minimum is, at best, 200ft. The Abu Dhabi ILS is cat I/II/III capable so I can not see a benefit in minimums.
At the moment Abu Dhabi has RNAV 1 SIDs / STARs and RNAV 1 transitions onto the ILS.
The ICAO RNP-AR manual states that the standard RNP values of initial – RNP 1 and intermediate – RNP 1 values are used. So I do not see a benefit here either.
You can get those sorts of CO2 reductions if you are flying by conventional means but not if you are already flying RNAV 1.
So as I see it, the “airline we can’t mention” will go to great expense for little or no actual gain or am I missing something?
I believe it is about routing traffic more efficiently around/through restricted areas near the airport and thus reduce track miles and therefore costs.