LVNL influences how efficiently aircraft fly within the Netherlands by making more efficient use of airspace and optimising ground operations.
European legislation stipulates that airspace above nine kilometres must be designated as Free Route Airspace. In this area, aircraft must fly to their destination via direct routes rather than via standard routes, which are less efficient. LVNL provides its services below eight kilometres, where this obligation does not apply. Nevertheless, our air traffic controllers facilitate flying via direct routes as much as possible.
LVNL avoids as much as possible having to place aircraft in a holding area during their approach to Schiphol. We also refer to such a holding area as a ‘holding’. Here, aircraft fly in circles at a relatively low altitude until it is their turn to land. This is inefficient and causes additional emissions. The use of holding patterns can be minimised by carefully monitoring traffic and matching it to the available capacity at Schiphol.
Our air traffic controllers allow aircraft to climb continuously to cruising altitude as much as possible. This is the altitude at which an aircraft flies most efficiently. They also allow aircraft to descend continuously to the runway as much as possible. By climbing and descending continuously, an aircraft consumes less fuel than if it climbs or descends in short bursts. If a conflict arises between a departing aircraft and an approaching aircraft, the safest solution is chosen.
Dutch airspace is small and heavily trafficked. In order to continue to manage all these flights effectively in the future, a new classification of our airspace is needed. In the Airspace Review Programme (LRH), LVNL is working with the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, the Royal Netherlands Air Force and EUROCONTROL/Maastricht Upper Area Control (MUAC) to create an airspace with more efficient routes. Our aim is to reduce noise pollution for people living near airports, reduce emissions of harmful substances and reduce delays. By designing new routes, LVNL is helping to make airspace more sustainable.
LVNL is helping to develop a new, more sustainable and innovative approach to European airspace management, based on cross-border interoperability. The fragmented European ATM system is being replaced by a single system. This will make flying more efficient and even safer in all respects in the future. The most important investment for LVNL is the replacement of the current air traffic control system with the iTEC-based Centre Automation System (iCAS).
Among other things, iCAS makes it easier to give pilots direct routes and forms the basis for efficient climbing and descending to and from Dutch airports. In this way, it contributes to a reduction in fuel consumption by airlines and thus their CO2 emissions.