Queenstown, New Zealand: Reliability and Payload
Since the introduction of RNP, the business case for Queenstown airline operations has improved considerably and profitability has increased.
"The introduction of RNP onto our A320s means Australian customers will be able to rely on Air New Zealand flights arriving and departing as scheduled with fewer weather-related disruptions."
- Air New Zealand Capt. Dave Morgan; as quoted in the Jetsettersblog
Problem
- Terrain and poor weather caused frequent cancellations and diversions.
- Three pilots were required to operate aircraft normally operated by two, the third being necessary to assist with navigation in the event of a non-normal departure.
- On some Qantas flights from Queenstown, 40 seats had to remain empty to meet climb performance contingency requirements for non-normal departures.
Solution
- Naverus-Tailored RNP approaches were developed with decision altitudes (DA) as low as 250 feet – a huge improvement over the prior procedures which had minima of 3,000 feet or more - greatly improving schedule reliability.
- On departure, RNP flight paths guide the aircraft around obstacles instead of climbing over them. Using Tailored RNP, Qantas 737s were able to depart with full payloads, eliminating costly refueling stops and eliminating the practice of flying with empty seats.