Continental, FAA to partner in testing of new navigation technology
18 Dec 2008
Continental Airlines will contribute $1.1 million towards helping test new satellite navigation technology aimed at reducing flight delays. The tests will take place at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey.
Newark Liberty, a hub for Houston-based Continental, will become the nation's first major airport to test what is called the Ground Based Augmentation System technology. The technology is intended to help reduce air-traffic control congestion through improved navigational precision, which will allow planes to fly closer together, charting their routes more efficiently than possible through traditional radar systems.
The airport is managed by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
Continental will outfit 15 planes with equipment and train pilots to use the system. It will be partnered by the Federal Aviation Administration, which will commit as much as $2.5 million towards assessing and expanding the programme.
Honeywell will be the FAA-certified provider of equipment, its purchase, installation and maintenance.
