New Southern Sky

New Zealand remains strongly committed to providing ATM and air navigation services on a commercial, user-pays basis. It also seeks to ensure that infrastructure and services are resilient to natural disasters.

The New Zealand government also published a National Infrastructure Plan in 2011. This plan specifies the principles for infrastructure development across all industry sectors. It sets out a desire for sound investment analysis, accountability, regulation that reduces lead times and the coordination of decisions across different providers. The principles of the National Infrastructure Plan apply to aviation sector improvement initiatives.

Foremost of those initiatives is now Southern Sky.

“The New Southern Sky plan identifies eight areas where initiatives can be grouped,” Stephen Hunt, NZ CAA’s general manager, air transport and airworthiness, explains. “Of these eight, the most significant impact is likely to be the areas relating to the adoption of performance-based navigation (PBN), replacing existing radar systems with ADS-B and the redesign of airspace. ” Other areas involve incremental improvements to communications; improved integration and digitisation in aeronautical information management; increasing capacity at aerodromes; integrating weather data; and changing the focus of air traffic management from controlling to enabling.

Each of the eight areas has a number of objectives. The timetables for completion of these objectives are grouped into three stages with Stage 1 due by the end sophisticationof 2015, Stage 2 by the end of 2018 and Stage 3 by the end of 2023. To complete these objectives a suite of projects are defined and assigned to parties to complete such as the CAA, Airways New Zealand and New Zealand’s MetService.

“Although there are a small number of agencies, there are a lot of projects to be undertaken,” Hunt says. “Previously Airways has undertaken a lot of projects around navigation and ATM. This plan has provided a framework for these projects to be integrated with others across all areas. The process we are undertaking places a high priority on involving users in explaining proposed changes, addressing their concerns and paying particular attention to how proposed changes will be implemented. ” Hunt continues: “New Zealand has a significant industry supporting general and light aviation. While not particularly ‘flashy’ it is very important to the aviation sector in the country. We are striving to balance the interests of all aviation stakeholders. It is important that all are satisfied that their views have been understood

CAA sees itself as being a leader in developing and implementing future aviation plans, we are more than a regulator.

and interests are being addressed in a reasonable manner. ” New Zealand’s future navigation system will use performance-based navigation (PBN) based on GNSS as the primary method for IFR flights. PBN enables the use of navigation procedures that are more accurate than ground-based navigation aids. Greater accuracy permits shorter, more direct routes to be developed.

In order to migrate to a GNSS system concerns about satellite performance and prediction of availability need to be allayed. One way of mitigating this concern is continuing to provide a reduced number of ground-based navigation aids until the performance of GNSS can be assured.

There are also some concerns about the impact on the general aviation community where the costs of equipping aircraft currently outweigh the operational benefits. The low number of avionics engineers who are proficient in installing this new technology is also an issue. The need to approve aircraft systems, operator procedures and implement training requirements is expected to demand significant resources from the CAA.

A mixed mode navigation system is planned to be in operation until 2018, where ground-based aids support GNSS. Subsequently there will be an increased reliance on PBN, with a full PBN environment expected to come into operation between 2019 and 2023 when all ATS routes and instrument approach procedures will be enabled by GNSS.

Airways has indicated its intention to decommission its radar network by 2021 and replace it with a network of ADS-B receivers and a greater use of wide-area multilateration. Significant benefits are predicted for Airways and larger operators through improved surveillance coverage, improvedtraffic flow, reduced fuel costs and lower infrastructure costs.

At present the CAA doubts that the cost of ADS-B avionics equipage is cost-effective for small air transport and general aviation operators.

“Many general aviation users will still want to use controlled airspace but they are unable to pass the costs of equipage onto their customers,” Hunt says. “For general aviation ADS-B involves a large financial investment. We need to find ways of easing the financial pressure on all owners with the introduction of this technology. ” A network of ADS-B ground stations with mandatory airspace classified above FL245 is planned for implementation in the period 2016 to 2018. ADS-B is then planned to be mandatory within all controlled airspace from 2021, with a back-up surveillance network that includes some legacy radar systems provided at strategic points in the network.

New Zealand airspace needs to be redesigned to meet the needs of increased traffic, new PBN-enabled flightpaths and aircraft with greatersophistication. Hunt explains: “We will revisit the assumptions that have previously existed for legacy airspace. This could mean that some areas increase in size, while other controlled airspace could reduce. A more holistic view will be adopted which will involve CAA engaging with all users so that the most efficient use of the airspace can be agreed. ” He adds: “The Air Force fleet is growing. Helicopter activities are increasing while T-6 operations will commence late this year. Both are likely to require greater volumes of airspace assigned to military use. We may need to broker a compromise between the need for greater military airspace against civil requirements. Most impact will likely be the airspace around the Manawatu, near RNZAF Base Ohakea. ” Airspace redesign is complicated with the increased use of remotely piloted aircraft. These aircraft are seeking increased access to controlled airspace. The introduction of ADS-B, requiring aircraft avionics equipage, has, just as it has happened in Australia, the prospect of restricting access to controlled airspace. New methods of navigation and air traffic management procedures are almost certainly likely to result in smaller controlled airspace around airports. Consideration will be given to providing ongoing access to controlled airspace for aircraft that are not equipped with ADS-B avionics. The major review of New Zealand airspace will take place between 2016 and 2018.

An important role has been assigned to the CAA to lead the implementation of the New Southern Sky program. “CAA sees itself as being a leader in developing and implementing future aviation plans,” says Hunt. “We are more than a regulator. No other agency can facilitate a multi-perspective approach with stakeholders. All other organisations rightly have interests additional to the public good. A steering group is being formed to ensure sound decisions are made for the entire industry. ” Hunt adds: “To achieve the targets in the New Southern Sky CAA has placed considerable attention on how initiatives specified in the plan will be implemented. CAA will perform two functions – overall governance of the program as well as undertaking some specific projects.

“We have also established the Aerospace Programs Unit (APU) which will coordinate the delivery of multiple projects as well as undertake tasks that have been assigned to CAA. ” In many ways New Zealand is a follower with many of theimprovement initiatives having already been adopted by other countries. The CAA is reaching out to agencies in Australia, the US, UK and Europe to benefit from the lessons learned from initiatives that have been undertaken there.

Consultation about the draft of the New Southern Sky plan took place late in 2013. Hunt explains the outcome: “CAA undertook a comprehensive consultation program with industry. The major concern was expressed by small general aviation operators who raised the issue about the costs of equipping aircraft with ADS-B and GNSS avionics. It is important that these initiatives do not specifically disadvantage any operator or class of operators. ” An economic analysis has been undertaken about the costs and benefits proposed by the initiatives in New Southern Sky. This analysis estimated that the total cost of all changes encompassed by the plan to be NZ$178 million, generating direct and indirect benefits of NZ$2. 2 billion. The greatest benefits are sourced from the PBN activities. The implementation of ADS-B is expected to realise NZ$9 million in benefits.

Large airline operators will obtain the greatest economic benefits. The impact on smaller aircraft operators will depend on their individual circumstance, such as their current level of avionics equipage.

The New Southern Sky Plan is a pathway for the New Zealand aviation sector to adopt new technologies and practices in a structured manner. It sees CAA adopting a leadership role in managing the implementation of numerous project activities. CAA will also lead the resolution of financial concerns that are held by the general aviation community through the requirement to equip their aircraft with new technologies.