SESAR NASCIO project – Flight Validation Trials at Burgas Airport

BULATSA intends to publish in 2015 Performance-based navigation (PBN) procedures for Burgas airport (Bulgaria), validated within the NASCIO project.
The implementation of the new procedures based on satellite technology (GNSS) for the terminal area of Burgas airport, located in Eastern Bulgaria, commenced in 2012.
Two years later, most of the activities are finalised and BULATSA took advantage of the NASCIO project for performing a flight inspection campaign for validation of the procedures. The flights were executed in November 2014 by a Bulgarian flight inspection aircraft and with the support of Pildo Labs and its portable validation platform (PLATERO).
Within the program, RNAV-1 departure and arrival procedures and instrument approach procedures fully based on GNSS for serving both runway ends of the airport will be published. Those procedures will be the first PBN manoeuvres to be published in Bulgaria and will open the door for further implementation at other airports – Varna airport will be next.
The flight inspection is performed within the Navigation SESAR Concepts Involving Operators (NASCIO) demonstration project, co-funded by the SESAR Joint Undertaking.
NASCIO is a follow-up of activities initiated under the technological pillar of the Single European Sky initiative (SESAR). The project aims at integrating, in a coordinated manner, various ongoing initiatives performed within different Research and Technological Frameworks, to develop new advanced navigation concepts defined within SESAR.
The project aims to demonstrate new navigation specifications in eight different scenarios, including rotorcraft and fixed wing aircrafts as the main users that will benefit from the new navigation concepts.