Simon Allotey (fourth left) in a group photo with some participants after the opening ceremony
MAJOR STAKEHOLDERS within the aviation sector in Africa and the Indian Ocean have converged on Accra for a four-day workshop.
The Africa and Indian Ocean (AFI) Performance-based Navigation (PBN) Route Lab and Continuous Climb/Continuous Descend Development (CCO/CDO) and Implementation workshop is taking place at the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) in Accra.
It commenced yesterday, with over 200 participants selected from air navigation service providers, civil aviation authorities and other stakeholders across the continent.
The outcome of the workshop expected to end on December 20, according to the GCAA, would be crucial to the implementation of the International Civil Aviation Organization Standards and Recommended Practices and Strategic Objectives regarding aviation safety and air traffic management by states in Africa and Indian Ocean.
Delivering a welcome address at the opening ceremony of the workshop, Director General of GCAA, Ign. Simon Allotey, said the PBN concept affords significant benefits including improved safety through more straight-in instrument approaches with vertical guidance, increased airspace capacity, increased airport accessibility, more efficient operations, reduced infrastructure costs and reduced environmental impact.
According to him, the application of CCO and CDO leads to environmental benefits in the terminal area including less noise pollution and reduction in fuel burn and greenhouse gas emissions.
“Some African States have developed PBN procedures and implemented CCO/CDO at various levels,” he said.
He urged that beyond developing and publishing PBN procedures, airspace users must fly the procedures.
“All aircraft flying in the African airspace should have PBN compliant avionics to enable all operators derive the full benefit of PBN,” he noted, adding that “CAAs should also build confidence in operators to fly RNAV and RNP to progressively reduce reliance on traditional ground-based navigation systems.
BY Melvin Tarlue