From Chicago To Kathmandu: RNP Makes Landings Safer and More Efficient

Crowded skies, soaring skyscrapers, and rugged mountain terrain present unique challenges for business jet pilots and underscore the need for instrument approach procedures that tap into the full potential of today’s advanced avionics. 

• At Chicago Executive Airport (KPWK), pilots landing on Runway 34 must avoid nearby O’Hare Class B airspace and during windy conditions, visually circle the aircraft to the runway, without flight path guidance. 
• In Aspen, Colorado (KASE), the well-known “one-way-in/one-way-out" airport is surrounded by steep terrain and has limited safe options for landing, especially in poor weather. 
• To reach Tribhuvan (Kathmandu) (VNKT) in Nepal, pilots need to thread their way through the towering Himalayas using a non-precision approach, often in unpredictable weather and frequent fog, just to reach the airport’s single runway. 

Fortunately, there’s a better way.

Honeywell Helps Operators Leverage RNP Benefits

Honeywell has been helping business aviation operators leverage the benefits of Required Navigation Performance (RNP) technology, a satellite-based navigation method that enables precise, repeatable flight paths—even in challenging terrain—since its application by Alaska Airlines in the mid-1990s. As air traffic and the number of RNP-approved runways grow, more business aircraft operators are using RNP procedures.  

RNP-Authorization Required (RNP-AR) procedures make landings safer and more predictable at many of the world’s most challenging runways where obstacles, terrain, or air traffic prevent conventional straight-in instrument approaches. 

RNP gives pilots precise aircraft positioning data and enables curved final approach segments, mitigating the challenges of difficult runways while supporting stable, controlled landings. It also allows for lower landing minimums, reducing the chances of weather-related diversions. 

Honeywell avionics — including flight management systems (FMS), global positioning systems (GPS), inertial navigation systems (INS), and radio navigation sensors — are critical to RNP operations. And when it comes to implementation, our support doesn’t stop at the cockpit. 

As its name implies, RNP-AR access requires FAA authorization. Honeywell RNP-AR Consulting Services specialists help operators handle the complex qualification process. We have supported nearly 200 operators in navigating through the regulatory maze to secure RNP approval. 

Honeywell recognized the need for RNP approaches at underserved airports, so we created high-value approaches and made them available in our RNP navigation database.

Our RNP database is FAA-compliant and regularly updated. Operators can subscribe to the Honeywell RNP database to receive new approach updates every 28 days, keeping procedures current and readily accessible.

How RNP Improves Flight Safety and Efficiency

Conventional approaches using ground-based radio navigation aids, like the Instrument Landing System (ILS) and VHF omnidirectional range (VOR) systems, limit procedure design to straight legs with accuracy decreasing the farther you are from the radio signal source. 

In contrast, RNP uses satellite-based area navigation (RNAV) along with onboard navigation performance monitoring to deliver high accuracy between three-dimensional based points in space. The result is tremendous flexibility in procedure design—ideal for runways limited by terrain or traffic—that often allows for lower landing minimums and more stable approaches. 

RNP's adaptability improves runway access, enhances safety, and boosts operational efficiency, making it the clear choice for modern aviation.

To learn more about Honeywell’s RNP-AR solutions, visit us online or email us at FTS@honeywell.com.