4DT Approaches Now Being Conducted Routinely into Stockholm Arlanda

According to Sweden's AVTECH, daily revenue flights using 4DT (four dimensional trajectory) should now be routinely flown by appropriately equipped aircraft into Stockholm's Arlanda, during low traffic situations.  The new procedure is executed as an A-CDA (advanced continuous descent approach), also known as a "green approach," because of its reduced fuel burn and emission byproducts.

SAS Sweden captain Peter Larsson, who is leading the project for the airline, says that based on a number of test flights since January that collected data and feedback on the procedure, its "initial results are very promising."  And Lars GV Lindberg, the CEO of AVTECH Sweden, which has played a prominent role in adapting the necessary technologies and procedures, says the test flights "provided valuable information" for further enhancements to the aircraft FMS (flight management system) functionality and approach procedure coding.

In order to facilitate this new way of operation, the aircraft's FMS is connected with the ground system via a datalink, which allows the pilot and the tactical supervisor at Stockholm Arlanda to interact strategically to set up an optimum flow into the airport.

According to AVTECH, the next application, that will be up and running in a "few weeks' time," will be a CDM (collaborative decision making) processes that is aimed at making operations on Arlanda's airport surface more predictable.

A large-scale demonstration showing all NUP2+ (second phase of the NEAN or North European ADS-B Network) applications and initial results is being planned to take place at Arlanda sometime later this year.  04-09-2006.

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