The Next Generation Air Transportation System is a new National Airspace System
due for implementation across the United States in stages between 2012 and 2025.
NextGen proposes to transform America’s air traffic control system from a
radar-based system with radio communication to a satellite-based one.
GPS technology will be used to shorten routes, save time and fuel, reduce
traffic delays, increase capacity, and permit controllers to monitor and manage
aircraft with greater safety margins. Radio communications will be
increasingly replaced by data exchange and automation will reduce the amount of
information the air crew must process at one time.
As a result of these changes, planes will be able to fly closer together,
take more direct routes and avoid delays caused by airport “stacking” as planes
wait for an open runway. To implement this, the Federal Aviation
Administration will undertake a wide-ranging transformation of the
entire United States air transportation system. This transformation has the aim
of reducing gridlock, both in the sky and at the airports. In 2003, the U.S.
Congress established the Joint Planning and Development Office to plan and
coordinate the development of the system.
Justification The FAA estimates that increasing
congestion in the air transportation system of the United States, if
unaddressed, would cost the American economy $22 billion annually in lost
economic activity by 2022. It also estimates that by 2018, NextGen will
reduce aviation fuel consumption by 1.4 billion gallons, reduce emissions by 14
million tons and save $23 billion in costs. Each mile in the air costs an
airline about $0.10-$0.15 per seat in operating expenses like flight crew and
fuel. Flying directly from one airport to the next and reducing congestion
around airports can reduce the time and miles spent in the air for the same
trip. Once implemented, NextGen will allow
pilots and dispatchers to select their own direct flight path, rather than
using a grid-like highway system. By 2020, aircraft are expected to be
carrying equipment that will tell pilots exactly what their location is in
relation to other aircraft, enabling planes to fly closer together safely. By
providing more information to ground control and planes, planes are expected
to land faster, navigate through weather better and reduce taxi times so flights
and airports themselves can run more efficiently. The increased scope, volume
and distribution of information is intended to help planes land faster,
improve weather forecasts, automation and information sharing, as well as
reduce taxi times. Elements
NextGen consists of four elements: Automatic dependent
surveillance-broadcast. ADS-B will use Global Positioning System satellite
signals to provide air traffic controllers and pilots with much more
accurate information that will help to keep aircraft safely separated in the
sky and on runways. Aircraft transponders receive GPS signals and use
them to determine the aircraft's precise position in the sky. These and other
data are then broadcast to other aircraft and air traffic control. Once
fully established, both pilots and air traffic controllers will, for the first
time, see the same real-time display of air traffic, substantially improving
safety. The FAA will mandate the avionics necessary for implementing
ADS-B. Next Generation Data Communications.
Current communications between aircrew and air traffic control, and between air
traffic controllers, are largely by voice. Initially, the introduction of
data communications will provide an additional means of two-way
communication for air traffic control clearances, instructions, advisories,
flight crew requests and reports. With the majority of aircraft data link
equipped, the exchange of routine controller-pilot messages and clearances
via data link will enable controllers to handle more traffic. This will improve
air traffic controller productivity, enhancing capacity and safety.
Next Generation Network Enabled Weather. Seventy percent of NAS delays are
attributed to weather every year. The goal of NNEW is to cut weather-related
delays at least in half. Tens of thousands of global weather observations
and sensor reports from ground-, airborne- and space-based sources will
fuse into a single national weather information system, updated in real
time. NNEW will provide a common weather picture across the national airspace
system, and enable better air transportation decision making.
National Airspace System Voice Switch. There are currently seventeen different
voice switching systems in the NAS, some in use for more than twenty years. NVS
will replace these systems with a single air/ground and ground/ground voice
communications system. Implementation
The FAA is pursuing a NextGen implementation plan and has established
a NextGen Advisory Committee to aid in that implementation. In 2009, the
advisory committee began a collaboration with the Radio Technical Commission for
Aeronautics Task Force, a joint government and industry group, to
participate in the effort. Besides the FAA, the RTCA Task Force membership
includes the Air Line Pilots Association, Air Transport Association
of America, Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, The Boeing Company,
Department of Defense, GARMIN International, Honeywell International,
Rockwell Collins, Stanford University, Lockheed Martin, MIT Lincoln Laboratory,
Harris Corporation, NASA, National Business Aviation Association, and
Raytheon. According to the FAA, the implementation
of a surface management initiative in Boston saved 5,100 gallons of aviation
fuel and reduced carbon dioxide emissions by 50 tons during a period of
heavy congestion. A shared surface surveillance system combined with
aircraft metering techniques reduced taxi-out time by 7,000 hours a year at
New York’s JFK airport and 5,000 hours a year in Memphis. Helicopters flying over
the Gulf of Mexico are also using NextGen technology to manage poor
weather conditions and in Colorado to navigate through dangerous mountain
terrain. There has also been a demonstration in
Memphis with Delta Air Lines and FedEx. The National Air Traffic Controllers
Association conducted a demonstration at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport
of a new surveillance display called the Tower Flight Data Manager system that
would present surveillance, flight data, weather, airport configuration and other
information critical to controllers. Specialized Optimized Profile Descents,
also known as Initial Tailored Arrivals, have moved from the demonstration phase
to operational use at airports in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Miami and
Denver. In June 2010, European and American
authorities reached a preliminary agreement on interoperability between
their future air traffic management systems, SESAR and NextGen.
In March 2011, the FAA released the latest version of its implementation
plan. As of July 2011, JetBlue and Southwest
Airlines had installed onboard equipment, partly with federal funds.
Criticism In October 2009, U.S. Department of
Transportation Inspector General Calvin Scovel and U.S. Government
Accountability Office Director of Civil Aviation Issues Gerald Dillingham told
Congress that the FAA faced considerable challenges in implementing a
satellite-based NextGen ATC system, ranging from delays in approving new
procedures and technology to skepticism among airlines regarding investment in
new equipment. Testifying before the House of Representatives aviation
subcommittee, Scovel warned that "the cost, schedule and benefits for NextGen
are uncertain". Dillingham added that the "FAA faces cultural and
organizational challenges in implementing NextGen capabilities".
Both said the agency needs to move away from developing required navigation
performance procedures for airports that merely "overlay existing routes" and
toward implementing procedures that allow more direct flight paths that will
increase efficiency and lower fuel burn and carbon dioxide emissions.
Dillingham said ATC system stakeholders have told GAO "that the process of
approving and deploying RNP navigation procedures remains extremely slow and
that the FAA's review and approval of a given original RNP design often takes
years". = Noise Pollution =
A feature of the NextGen program are GPS-based waypoints, which result in
similar flightpaths for planes. The result of this change is that many
localities are experiencing huge increases in air traffic over previously
quiet areas. Complaints have risen with the added traffic and multiple
municipalities have already filed suit, with more considering such a move.
Metropolises affected so far include Baltimore, San Francisco, San Jose,
Santa Cruz, New York, Phoenix and Culver City. The implementation of NextGen has
also broken at least one historical agreement between a major airport and a
municipality under one of its flight paths. Records show that 80% of recent
flights over Palo Alto are in violation of two separate agreements restricting
approach flights to at least 8,000 ft. Challenges
While NextGen programs have demonstrated improvements, there are a number of
ongoing and potential issues that will affect NextGen implementation.
= Costs = Ongoing problems continue to threaten
NextGen’s costs and timeline. A report released in October 2011 by the
Government Accountability Office found the FAA has made some progress in
implementation, but delays threaten to impact costs and benefits. Specifically,
some acquisitions have been delayed, which has impacted the timelines of
other dependent systems. The report also indicates that some key acquisitions may
soon encounter delays, which can increase overall acquisition costs as
well as costs to maintain current systems. For example, delays in
implementing the En Route Automation Modernization program is projected to
increase costs by $330 million, as well as an estimated $7 to $10 million per
month in additional costs to continue maintaining the system that ERAM was
meant to replace. In February 2012, Congress authorized $63.4 billion for
FAA activities from FY12 - FY15, $11B of which is allocated to NextGen.
= Program interdependencies affect midterm and longterm implementation =
Due to the integrated nature of NextGen, many of its component systems are
mutually dependent on one or more other systems. For instance, the delivery of
ADS-B depends on ERAM because ADS-B requires the use of some ERAM functions.
Additionally, ERAM is instrumental to the on-time implementation of two other
crucial NextGen acquisitions— Data Communications and System Wide
Information Management. The FAA pushed the Data Communications program’s start
date from September 2011 to February 2012 and delayed the SWIM-segment 2
start date from 2010 to December 2012 in part due to ERAM's delay. The long-term
result of this decision is not yet known but it could delay certain SWIM
capabilities as well as hinder the progress of other capabilities that
depend, in turn, on the system integration that SWIM is intended to
provide. Consequently, the midterm and long term implementation of NextGen will
be affected by how well FAA manages program interdependencies.
= Potential budget reductions = The delays in program implementation and
budget constraints have also affected FAA capital budget planning. According
to the report, congress has proposed reducing FAA’s capital budget by a total
$2.8 billion for fiscal years 2012 through 2015. Most of this proposed
reduction is on NextGen and NextGen-related spending, as reflected
in FAA’s revised 5-year Capital Investment Plan for fiscal years 2012
through 2016. FAA will have to balance its priorities to ensure that NextGen
implementation stays on course while also sustaining the current
infrastructure, which is needed to prevent failures and maintain the
reliability and efficiency of current operations.
= Effect of delays on FAA’s ability to collaborate with Europe =
The report indicates that delays in NextGen programs as well as potential
budget reductions for NextGen activities, delays to NextGen programs
and potential reductions in the budget for NextGen activities could delay the
schedule for harmonization with Europe’s air traffic management modernization
efforts and the realization of these benefits.
= Environmental impacts = Another issue in implementing NextGen is
expediting environmental reviews and developing strategies to address the
environmental impacts of NextGen. A previous GAO report on environmental
impacts at airports indicated that the changes in aircraft flight paths that
will accompany NextGen efforts would affect some communities that were
previously unaffected or minimally affected by aircraft noise and expose
them to increased noise levels. These levels could trigger the need for
environmental reviews, as well as raise community concerns. The report found
that addressing environmental impacts can delay the implementation of
operational changes, and indicated that a systematic approach to addressing
these impacts and the resulting community concerns may help reduce such
delays. It is worth noting that the FAA is working on developing environmental
review processes that affect NextGen activities.
One of the first NextGen routes to be implemented was the "TNNIS" route
emanating from New York's LaGuardia airport. The route has resulted in
strong opposition from neighboring communities in the borough of Queens,
NY. A 2013 New York Times article quoted area residents describing the conditions
created by TNNIS as "unbearable". Largely because of TNNIS, residents
successfully lobbied New York governor Andrew Cuomo to order a Part 150 noise
compatibility study and establish a community aviation roundtable with the
Port Authority. The FAA still refuses to conduct a full environmental impact
study on the route. = Insecurity =
ADS-B signals are "unencrypted and unauthenticated", leading to the
tracking of USAF aircraft during combat operations.
References This article incorporates public domain
material from the Federal Aviation Administration document "Fact Sheet".
External links NextGen Enters Critical Era
The Four New Priorities of NextGen NextGen Procedures Go Live in Houston
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