The European Commission launched on 2 March the EGNOS “Safety-of-Life” service for aviation which will enable precision approaches and make air navigation safer while reducing delays, diversions and cancellations of flights. This free-to-use technology will also allow airports to increase their overall capacity and cut operating costs.

EGNOS – the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service, launched in October 2009, is a satellite-based augmentation system which improves the accuracy of GPS signals across Europe and is the precursor of Galileo, the global satellite navigation system being developed by the European Union. Since 2009, EGNOS has been available for open applications such as personal navigation and precision farming and following a certification and verification process, the system is from now on authorised also for use in aviation.

The EGNOS “Safety-of-Life” service which has been now launched, will considerably increase the safety of air navigation, provide economic benefits to airports and airlines, and help reduce CO2 emissions. As highlighted by Commission Vice-President Antonio Tajani, responsible for Industry and Entrepreneurship, EGNOS Safety-of-Life service represents one more tangible result of Europe’s investment in satellite navigation.

Advantages provided by EGNOS Safety-of-Life service

• Increased aviation safety: EGNOS allows for precision approaches which significantly reduces safety risks, especially in poor weather conditions.
• Lower operating costs: The EGNOS signal is provided free of charge and only requires a receiver aboard the aircraft. No ground infrastructure is required.
• Lower CO2 emissions: EGNOS allows for more efficient plotting of flight routes and approaches resulting in a decrease in carbon emissions.
• Less delays, diversions and cancellations: EGNOS allows lower aircraft separation distances during poor meteorological conditions, meaning fewer delays, diversions and cancellations of flights.
• Less noise pollution: The optimised flight routes and 'curved approach' procedures made possible by EGNOS allow planes to commence their descent closer to the runway, limiting noise to the area near airports.

It will also help to increase capacity for smaller airports, as the vertical guidance offered by the system means planes are able to land in restricted visibility conditions, increasing the capacity of airports. In order for the EGNOS Safety-of-Life service to be used, aircrafts need to be equipped with an EGNOS-enabled receiver and airports must have EGNOS-specific approach procedures for their runways.