From 15 December 2011, aircraft may fly approach procedures with vertical guidance provided by EGNOS
Permission to use EGNOS for aviation in Germany was granted by the Federal Supervisory Authority for Air Navigation Services (BAF). On 9 December, DFS Deutsche Flugsicherung signed an EGNOS working agreement with ESSP SAS, the official provider of EGNOS Safety-of-Life (SoL) services.
There are currently 38 airports in Germany listed as EGNOS-ready, with a further eight to be added in 2012. Click here to see the list.
Up to now, EGNOS-based approach procedures with LPV minima have been available at six European airports – three in France: Pau, Clermont-Ferrand and Le Bourget; two in Switzerland: St. Gallen-Altenrhein and Les Eplatures; and one on the Channel Island of Alderney.
With EGNOS navigation signals now available, enabling approach procedures down to 250 ft minima, airports will no longer need additional navigation aids, meaning significant cost savings, especially for smaller airports.
DFS Deutsche Flugsicherung GmbH, the German air navigation service provider, is a state-owned company with 6000 employees, working to ensure the safe and punctual flow of air traffic over Germany. It coordinates up to 10 000 aircraft movements in German airspace every day, and nearly three million movements every year, making Germany the country with the highest traffic volume in Europe. DFS operates control centres in Langen, Bremen, Karlsruhe and Munich.