Croatia Airlines is one of the first European airlines to have installed EGNOS equipment and to have completed its Dash 8-Q400 fleet modernisation project
10th December 2019, Zagreb
Croatia Airlines completed its Dash 8-Q400 fleet modernisation project by installing state-of-the-art EGNOS navigation equipment, which enables the use of the satellite signal of the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS) and landing using the Localiser Performance with Vertical Guidance (LPV) approach procedure.
The LPV approach is a satellite-guided precision landing approach which is completely identical to the conventional Instrument Landing System (ILS) approach, but requires state-of-the-art aircraft equipment capable of simultaneously using the GPS and the EGNOS satellite signal.
The Dash 8-Q400 fleet modernisation project was planned and developed in-house by the company, and was started at the end of 2017. The execution of the project involved almost all company sectors, with the company’s Technical Centre’s experts having done this demanding modification independently. The quality of the project, valued at approximately HRK 5 million, was also recognised by the European Commission, which supported and co-financed the project with 85% of the funds planned for the project through the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) programme and the Networks Executive Agency (INEA), which approved co-financing the project.
Croatia Airlines’ Dash 8-Q400 fleet flies daily to and from airports which have already implemented satellite-guided approach procedures, such as the LPV. Croatia Airlines is one of the first European airlines to have equipped its aircraft with this type of navigation equipment, confirming once again that Croatia Airlines has been at the forefront of implementing the latest trends in civil aviation.
The new EGNOS equipment facilitates an exceedingly high degree of navigation precision, so its use during pilot operations further increases the safety of flight operations. In addition, positive effects are also expected through the reduction of fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.
– From a pilot’s point of view, the LPV approach has proven to be a very reliable and safe new approach procedure that’s very likely to, by using advanced technology, replace conventional landing approaches in the near future. The advantages of using the LPV approach are evident primarily at airports that have been unable to guide aircraft to precision land, particularly when needing to deal with complex meteorological conditions – said Croatia Airlines’ Dash 8-Q400 Chief Pilot, Davor Mišić.