Two Panama Airports Receive RNP Critical Design Evaluation

Panama’s Tocumen International and Howard Airports have received critical design evaluation for required navigation performance (RNP) methods from Boeing.

The evaluation reviews the ‘fly-ability’ of the airports’ processes and ensures they match airline crew procedures.

RNP precisely directs aircraft along accurate flight routes using onboard flight-management systems and global-positioning satellites.

As part of Panama’s goal to establish new standards for secure and effective airline operations, Boeing and its subsidiary Jeppesen entered into a contract in May with Panama’s civil aviation authority Autoridad Aeronautica Civil (AAC) to provide RNP processes.

Director of Boeing aviation infrastructure for commercial airplanes Per Noren said that the agreement would aid AAC in spreading RNP execution across Latin America.

RNP processes will support flights arriving at both airports for any airline, with Copa Airlines being the first to test the processes.