NAV CANADA has become the first Air Navigation Service Provider (ANSP) in North America to deploy the time-based separation tool – Intelligent Approach.
Deployed at Toronto Pearson International Airport, this new technology adds additional tactical capacity across the airport’s five runways and will help reduce delays, fuel burn and CO2 emissions, particularly in high wind conditions. NAV CANADA worked closely with its UK counterpart, NATS and science and technology leader Leidos, to successfully transition to the Intelligent Approach system on May 28, 2022.
Intelligent Approach is a tool that helps deliver better on-time performance by optimising the spacing between arriving aircraft. Jointly developed by NATS and Leidos, the system dynamically calculates the optimum time interval between arrivals based on live weather data and the aircraft type rather than relying on set distances. It then translates that into a graphical marker on a controller’s radar screen, helping to improve spacing consistency and maintain the landing rate even in strong headwinds.
Intelligent Approach was first introduced at Heathrow Airport in 2015, where the use of time-based separation, as a way of maintaining the landing rate, has cut headwind-related delays by 62%.