ADS-B - Nav Canada Gander

Nav Canada Initiatives Optimize Transatlantic Routes

By Adrian Schofield

Source: Aviation Week & Space Technology

March 03, 2014
Credit: Nav Canada

When it comes to oceanic air traffic control, Nav Canada does not adhere to the philosophy of leaving things alone if they work well. Rather, it believes that for every procedure or technology it uses, there must be a better solution within reach.
It is because of this attitude that the North Atlantic airspace administered by Nav Canada is not only the busiest in the world, but also among the most sophisticated in terms of its operation. The company is continually undertaking new initiatives to improve the efficiency of transatlantic air routes—often in conjunction with its counterpart NATS in the U.K.
A good example of this is a recent technology upgrade that has allowed Nav Canada to proactively offer higher altitudes to oceanic flights. It is now looking to establish a new area of controlled airspace off Canada's northeast coast that will make the transition into North American domestic sectors much more seamless, and is also working on a way to reduce the lateral separation between transatlantic tracks. Looking further ahead, the agency is planning how it will pioneer a type of space-based surveillance system that does not need ground stations.
The Gander oceanic transition area (GOTA) is scheduled to be introduced on May 29, says Chris Mouland, Nav Canada's general manager for the Gander flight information region (FIR). It will effectively shift the boundary between domestic and oceanic airspace about 180 nm eastward over the Atlantic, extending the zone where controllers can reduce separation and more actively direct aircraft. In oceanic airspace they must use the more limited procedural control rules due to the lack of surveillance coverage.
Recent improvements in coverage are the main enabler of the GOTA, says Mouland. Nav Canada has extended its network of automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) ground stations along Canada's northeast coast, and in 2012 installed ADS-B stations on the southern tip of Greenland. It has also reached an agreement with the Department of National Defense to use its northern radar system.
While the borders of the Gander oceanic FIR will not officially change, a large piece of it will be under the jurisdiction of controllers for the neighboring domestic FIR. “Although its still high-seas airspace, it will be managed by domestic controllers and aircraft will derive a lot of the benefits as if they were flying in a domestic environment,” says Mouland.
Westbound flights will be able to gain the advantages of controlled airspace more than 20 min. earlier thanks to the GOTA, and eastbound flights will retain these benefits for longer. Pilots will be able to adjust their flight profiles much more readily, changing speed and altitude for maximum fuel efficiency. Because of this, airline representatives are “pretty happy” about the change, says Larry Lachance, Nav Canada's vice president for operations.