Qantas says it avoided 50 weather-related diversions at
Queenstown Airport, including the winter blasts of snow on
July 24 and August 14, thanks to innovative navigation
technology.
The Australian airline entered its eighth year of operating
required navigation performance (RNP) flights on Friday.
RNP enables aircraft to fly flexible and precise flights
paths which increase safety and efficiency. It reduces fuel
consumption and carbon emissions on take-off and descent.
Captain Alex Passerini, Qantas technical pilot in technology
development, said RNP-enabled Boeing 737-800 aircraft allowed
pilots to navigate the Wakatipu's mountainous terrain and
challenging weather conditions safely. Together with other
new technology, such as "heads-up" displays, the carrier can
operate to a lower minimum altitude on approach to Queenstown
than any other airline.
"Along with the USA, Canada and China, the Australia-New
Zealand region is leading the way in pioneering this
important technology and Queenstown has now been doing so for
seven years," Capt Passerini said.
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