Innsbruck, which is considered as one Europe’s most difficult airports will be easier to reach this winter-for some passengers.
A new aviation navigation system will be deployed on Thomas Cook Airlines flights to Innsbruck, which will dramatically reduce the amount of weather-related disruptions.
While the vast majority of airports are classed as Category A (no special procedures are necessary) or Category B (those that are “slightly out of the ordinary”), Innsbruck is a classic example of a Category C – those rather more tricky airports that “pose certain problems for the approach and/or landing and/or take-off”.
Only experienced pilots who have undergone simulator training and sat in the jumpseat for landing and take-off are allowed to fly there.
The Austrian airport is in a narrow, curved Alpine valley, which does not allow the use of standard instrument landing system approaches.
The airport’s tricky location is also Innsbruck’s main selling point. The airport offers quick and easy access to some of the best skiing in the Alps, and is just two miles from the city centre, with a cheap, 15 minute local bus connection.
Usually due to cloud cover Innsbruck-bound flights are frequently diverted to Munich or Verona airport. If the cloud ceiling is below 850 feet, pilots cannot currently land.
Now with the use of ground-breaking technology which is to be attached in the Thomas Cook Airlines, the planes can fly at curved approaches automatically, enabling landings to be made even when the cloud ceiling is as low as 350 feet. The sophisticated equipment has been fitted to the carrier’s Airbus A321 aircraft.
The procedure is known as RNP-AR, short for “Required Navigation Performance – Authorisation Required”, and was developed for airports that require a very high level of navigational accuracy.
Andy Thorington, group airlines head of Airbus operations for Thomas Cook and a pilot himself, said that, on a nice weather day, Innsbruck is his favourite airport, but in winter there are some challenges. He also added that, they are pretty confident they will be able to avoid at least 90 per cent, if not all, of their diversions. Captain Thorington also said that, the new procedure should also make the landing smoother.
This new technology will improve safety, it will improve commercial efficiency and it also has a positive environmental impact as it improves fuel efficiency and reduces emissions.
The technology has implications for improving access to a wide range of other airports, such as the Greek islands of Mykonos, Corfu and Santorini.
