Aviation

 

EGNOS was designed for aviation, and aviation continues to be a key segment for European GNSS. EGNOS increases accuracy and integrity, improving accessibility, efficiency and safety to operators, pilots and airports across Europe.

EGNOS allows lateral and angular vertical guidance during the Final Approach Segment (FAS) without requiring visual contact with the ground until a Decision Height (DH) down to only 200 feet above the runway (LPV minima as low as 200 feet).

EGNOS LPV-200 service:

  • Reduces delays, diversions and cancellations thanks to the lower minima ( 200 feet), potentially reducing the operational costs for flying to those destinations.
  • Increases, continuity of airport operations in case of ILS outage or maintenance.
  • Enhances safety levels, as the LPV-200 procedure effectively can serve as a back-up to the ILS (and as a primary one if there is none).
  • Improves efficiency of operations, lowering fuel consumption, CO2 emissions and decreasing aviation’s environmental impact.

Today, more than 460 EGNOS enabled approaches are operational in Europe and this figure will boost the implementation of the so-called Performance-Based Navigation (PNB). Consequently, European regional, business and general aviation operators are increasingly equipping their aircrafts with EGNOS-enabled avionics, allowing them to take advantage of already published procedures.

EGNOS for AVIATION means

Accessibility

  • Decision height reduced to as low as 200 feet
  • Access to small and medium-sized airports and heliports in poor weather conditions
  • Previously inaccessible approach paths are opened up

Sustainability

  • Reduces noise and emissions with curved approaches and continuous descent paths
  • Allows helicopter approach procedures from any direction, avoiding populated areas

Efficiency

  • Offers similar performance to ILS CAT I without the need for additional infrastructure
  • The lower decision height reduces costly delays, diversions and cancellations
  • Gives airports a competitive edge over those offering only non-precision approaches

Safety

  • Provides vertical geometric guidance and stabilized approach
  • Reduces significantly the occurrence of Controlled Flight into Terrain
  • Acts as a backup system for approaches into airports that already offer precision approaches
  • Allows the design of more flexible and safer approach procedures for rotorcraft

Latest News

User Consultation Platform and Downstream Day Banner
Thursday, November 20, 2025

The User Consultation Platform (UCP) together with the Space Downstream Day registration is now open. The two-day event taking place 4-5…

Presentation in EGNOS Workshop
Tuesday, November 04, 2025

From its beginnings as the origin of the EU Space Programme to its growing role across multiple transport sectors, EGNOS…

Satellite orbiting over the earth
Tuesday, September 02, 2025

As part of the deployment of EGNOS System Release 2.4…

Latest Documents

Service Implementation Roadmaps
Wednesday, July 02, 2025

This figure aims at providing a high-level overview of the EGNOS System and Services expected evolutions linked to the consecutive EGNOS…

Monthly performance report
Thursday, January 09, 2025

This report presents the EGNOS services performance during December 2024. The report contains global results for the reported period,…

Monthly performance report
Monday, December 09, 2024

This report presents the EGNOS services performance during November 2024. The report contains global results for the reported period,…