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8 | ENGAGING AIRPORT STAKEHOLDERS NextGen from an Airportâs Perspective2 NextGen consists of a series of FAA-led programs to implement new technologies and improve processes that will enhance the capacity, safety, efficiency, and ecology of air transportation in the United States. NextGen includes increased use of satellite-based navigation signals that are augmented by systems on board aircraft, as well as new technologies on the ground. Processes that streamline how the information required by these systems is created, validated, and exchanged by the people who use them are also an important element of NextGen. The details about these technologies and process improvements can be challenging to understand for many reasons. First, they are complex. NextGen relies on disciplines and technology that require specialized experience and background knowledge to understand. Second, the degree to which airports are required to play a direct role in the implementation of these technologies has increased. For example, FAA now requires airports to supply data essential to the implementation of NextGen. (Information on FAAâs Airports Geographic Information System (AGIS) is given in the ACRP Report 150 volume on spatial data and NextGen.) Many airports, and in some cases the communities they serve, have also decided to become more proactively involved, which means that airport staff and consul- tants must learn new concepts and skills. Finally, complex terminology, myriad acronyms, inconsistent definitions, and the evolving manner in which NextGen programs have been defined have not made it easier for airports and their stakeholders to understand what they can do. Given this complexity, some stakeholders have felt that they were not provided with necessary information or were left out of the implementation process. Fortunately, FAA, industry associations, andâthrough this series of guidebooksâACRP recognize this problem and have launched several efforts to ensure that stakeholders have the information they require. For example, FAA substantially redesigned its NextGen Update website which now refer- ences online videos and interactive webpages that transform complex statistics and maps into intui- tive graphs and diagrams. FAAâs Office of Environment and Energy has also been tasked with revising its Community Involvement Manual based on some of the recommendations made in the RTCA PBN Blueprint. The updated manual will include current requirements, expectations, best practices, and technologies than span relevant FAA lines of business (FAA 2015a). FAAâs ATO updated its PBN Strategy document to guide future PBN implementation and strengthen a collaborative approach with airport operators. Associations have published memos and hosted events. Industry organizations have conducted assessments and made recommendations to which FAA has responded. Regional agencies have developed educational material, websites, and applications. ACRP has coordinated five projects to educate and guide airports. These and similar efforts have had, and are expected to continue having, a positive effect on stakeholder engagement. Although NextGen is a U.S.-based initiative, it is similar to initiatives being implemented across the globe. Other countries are carrying out similar activities from which U.S. stakeholders also can learn.
NextGen from an Airportâs Perspective | 9 Relevant NextGen Initiatives and Technologies Not all NextGen initiatives are directly relevant to airports. Many initiatives deal with capabilities that support aircraft while they are en route between airports, aircraft equipage, and information flows within FAA. Other initiatives affect aircraft arrival, departure, or surface operations and are therefore directly relevant to airports. The following NextGen initiatives will be most relevant to airports in the short term (i.e., now or within the next 5 years): ⢠Performance-based navigation (PBN) is a suite of procedures that incorporate technical capabilities that allow aircraft to fly with greater accuracy and precision. These capabilities are made possible by technical and operational performance characteristics of aircraft supported by signals from satellites. PBN enables area navigation (RNAV) and required navigation performance (RNP) flight procedures that allow aircraft to safely fly closer together. The result allows airspace to be rede- signed to improve efficiency, increase capacity, and preserve safety. More direct routes lead to fuel savings, fewer workload communications between pilots and controllers, and reduced emissions. For airports, PBN also enables procedures that increase capacity and access without adding ad- ditional costly, ground-based navigational aids. This increased capacity can lead to additional air service and new customers that increase revenue without generally requiring costly infrastructure (NextGen Portfolio on Performance Based Navigation, viewed 2015). ⢠Separation management and multiple runway operations (MRO) improvements are possible because of navigation equipment installed on aircraft that allows them to fly more precise and ac- curate approach and departure paths, automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) surveil- lance equipment that shares their location with controllers and other pilots, and FAA authorization of reduced separation after careful analysis of specific situations. If reduced separation techniques such as wake categorization and closely spaced parallel operations are approved, airfield capacity can be significantly increased without adding additional infrastructure. For airports, the increased air service means higher revenue without the capital and operating expenses associated with new infrastructure (NextGen Portfolio on Separation Management, viewed 2015). ⢠Surface operations are improved by accurately tracking aircraft and other vehicles that operate on the surface of an airfield. Aircraft and vehicle positions are shared with controllers and other opera- tors to provide increased situational awareness. This awareness allows movement to occur during periods of reduced visibility, which reduces delays caused by weather. The flow of aircraft can also be adjusted as weather and congestion conditions change to improve reliability. Airports will enjoy fewer delays, increased customer satisfaction, and fewer emissions from taxiing aircraft (NextGen Portfolio on Improved Surface Operations, viewed 2015). Of these initiatives, PBN affects more airports and more stakeholders in more direct ways. For this reason, PBN was chosen as the primary focus of Volume 1 in the ACRP Report 150 series and is fea- tured in most of the examples used in this guidebook and the accompanying online material. Surface operations and MRO have the greatest impact at larger airports, and these NextGen initiatives directly impact fewer stakeholders. Although airport-focused stakeholder engagement will be less important for these initiatives, some guidance also is provided in this guidebook to help identify relevant stake- holders and the information they will require with regard to surface operation and MRO initiatives.
