World’s first A330 Lhasa RNP passes flight trial

March 18th, 2009 -- At 4:20 p.m. Chinese Southern Flight A330/B6098 landed at Guangzhou’s new Baiyun Airport. This test flight marked the first success by a jumbo jet in meeting the required navigation performance(RNP) in China’s civil aviation industry.
China Southern Airlines is the first in the world to apply RNP high-precision navigation technology to a jumbo passenger aircraft, overseen by the CAAC South Central and Southwestern bureaus. The successful trial means that civil aviation technology in China has transitioned from the traditional ground-directed technology to performance-based navigation(PBN). RNP is a fundamental component of PBN. CAAC’s Deputy Administrator Li Jian is heading a committee to oversee the development of PBN. RNP testings are now underway at airports in Lhasa, Linzhi, Jiuzhai and Lijiang.