Honeywell Aerospace has released that San Francisco International Airport (SFO) is installing its innovative SmartPath Ground-Based Augmentation System technology to speed up flight times for airlines, reduce airplane fuel usage, and lower noise levels in neighborhoods around the airport.
Honeywell SmartPath is the only globally certified solution for Ground-Based Augmentation Systems, or GBAS that, when adopted by airports, can significantly reduce arrival delays and those annoying “circle around the airport” notifications passengers often get when airplane landings stack up. SFO joins Newark’s Liberty Airport and Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport as the third U.S. airport to install the technology, with another nine major airports around the world already enjoying its benefits.
SmartPath transmits digital data to the aircraft to aid in precision navigation and create more direct flight paths to and from airports. It can reduce flight times by optimizing the distance required to execute the approach and thus reduces the amount of fuel and emissions required to fly. In addition, because of the ability to have multiple precision approach paths with customizable glidepaths and accurate and repeatable flight tracks, it can reduce noise for residents along the approaches to SFO airport. It also reduces operating costs for airport operators, airlines, and air navigation service providers. Because one GBAS station covers all runways at an airport, it allows pilots to make more efficient approaches and landings.
