1. INTRODUCTION
1.1 The EUR/SAM corridor is the airspace over the South Atlantic (SAT) zone that passes through the Flight Information Regions of the Canary Islands or Canarias (Spain), Sal Oceanic (Cape Verde), Dakar Oceanic (Senegal) and the Atlantic.
1.2 The ICAO PBN (Performance-Based Navigation)concept implemented in the PBN Manual (Doc. 9613) includes navigation specifications for use in oceanic and remote environments. RNP 10 is one such specification.
1.3. According to the PBN Manual, a “navigation specification is a set of aircraft and aircrew requirements (including navigation systems) needed to support a navigation application within a defined airspace concept”. Specifications are designated "RNP" if they have on-board navigation performance monitoring and alerting and "RNAV" if they do not.
RNP 10 does not include requirements for on-board navigation performance monitoring and alerting, therefore the designation of "RNP" is inconsistent with the classification stated in the previous paragraph. To avoid this inconsistency, "RNP 10" is referred to as "RNAV 10" in the PBN manual. But, according to this manual, renaming the current RNP 10 routes and all related documents to RNAV 10 would be overly complicated. Therefore, the PBN manual recommends continuing to use the designation "RNP 10" for current and new implementations. The recommendation of the ICAO Regional Supplementary Procedures (Doc. 7030) applicable to FIR Canarias also run along similar lines.
Therefore, the designation "RNP 10" is maintained for this navigation specification in the AIP Spain.
1.4 At the time of publication of this AIC, FIR Canarias belongs to the ICAO EUR Region. The contents of ICAO Doc. 7030 on RNP 10 in FIR Canarias however appear provisionally in the AFI section of said document. Future versions of this document will include them in the EUR section.
1.5 The implementation of an RNP 10 route network in the EUR/SAM corridor is in line with the strategy of the approved SAT plan for air traffic flows in the South Atlantic (AFI AR1/SAM AH1 homogeneous areas). Flight level restrictions will be published as necessary.
2. PURPOSE
2.1 The intention of this Circular is to publish information on RNP 10 procedures in the EUR/SAM corridor airspace as well as aircraft requirements in order to use them.
3. AREA OF APPLICATION
3.1 As determined by the SAT Group and stated in the ICAO Supplementary Procedures (Doc. 7030) for the applicable Regions, RNP 10 is applicable in the FIR/UIR Canarias airspace between FL 145 and FL 660 and defined by the coordinates indicated in the AIP Spain, ENR 2.2 (EUR/SAM Corridor in FIR/UIR CANARIAS, ZONE 1).
4. OPERATIONS WITHIN THE RNP 10 AIRSPACE OF THE EUR/SAM CORRIDOR
4.1 With the exception of the aircraft referred to in Paragraph 4.2, only aircraft and operators capable of flying RNP 10 procedures will be authorised to operate within the RNP 10 airspace of the EUR/SAM corridor.
Note: Aircraft with RNP 4 or RNP 2 oceanic capability but not RNP 10 capability are not cleared to operate within RNP 10 airspace, subject to the exceptions listed in 4.2. According to ICAO Doc. 9613, an aircraft approved for an RNP or RNAV specification having stringent accuracy requirements is not automatically approved for a navigation specification having a less stringent accuracy requirement.
4.2 State aircraft and aircraft on SAR and humanitarian missions, which are not capable of flying RNP 10 procedures, will be cleared to enter and operate within the RNP 10 airspace of the EUR/SAM corridor. However, it is expected that aircraft of these classes that operate very frequently within the RNP 10 airspace of the EUR/SAM corridor shall be modified as necessary to comply with the requirements of this PBN specification.
4.3 The aircraft and operator’s RNP 10 capability is indicated by filling in the letter "R" in Item 10 and the code "A1" in the PBN indicator in Item 18 of the flight plan, in accordance with PANS-ATM (ICAO Doc. 4444).
Note: Aircraft without RNP 10 capability listed in Section 4.2 must include the code "NONRNAV 10" in the RMK indicator in Item 18 of the flight plan and describe the reason for the special treatment received from ATS using the STS indicator (inserting the appropriate code) or the RMK indicator (free text) as appropriate.
5. MEANS OF COMPLIANCE FOR AIRCRAFT
5.1 According to ICAO Doc. 7030, the aircraft and operator must have been verified by the State of Registry or State of Operator, as appropriate, to meet the following requirements (or equivalent):
a) those contained in the provisions of the Performance Based Navigation (PBN) Manual (Doc 9613) on RNAV 10; and
b) operator programmes shall be established with a view to mitigating incidents of gross navigation errors due to equipment malfunction or operational errors:
1) the operator's flight operations exercises shall include mandatory navigation checking procedures to determine navigational errors in sufficient time to prevent the aircraft from inadvertently deviating from the ATC-cleared route; and
2) the operator shall establish programmes to ensure the continued airworthiness of the aircraft navigation systems necessary to achieve the required degree of accuracy.
5.2 Operators must approach their relevant state authority to obtain RNP 10 clearance (or equivalent authorisations).
Note: Not all countries require the State authority to issue a specific RNP 10 operational clearance. In EASA member countries, for example, state authorities no longer issue this clearance.
6. REFERENCE DOCUMENTS
ICAO: Doc. 7030 - Regional Supplementary Procedures, EUR/AFI/SAM sections.
ICAO: Doc. 9613 - Performance Based Navigation (PBN) Manual.
ICAO: Doc. 4444 - Procedures for Air Navigation Services - Air Traffic Management (PANS-ATM).
7. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
More information on RNP-10 policy, planning and implementation may be found at:
South Atlantic Monitoring Agency (SATMA), Canary Islands Air Traffic Control Centre, Apartado 69, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria-SPAIN. TEL: +34-928 577 002. FAX: +34 928 577 003. E-mail: satma@enaire. Website: http://www.satmasat.com
National Regulatory Authority: DIRECCIÓN GENERAL DE AVIACIÓN CIVIL. Subdirección General de Aeropuertos y Navegación Aérea. Pº de la Castellana, 67 28071 Madrid-ESPAÑA. E-mail: sgana@transportes.gob.es Web: https://www.transportes.gob.es/ministerio/contacto-web