It is only in the past few of years that GPS approaches, pioneered in Alaska in the 1990s, have started to become available. These form another element of a future, efficient system where aircraft are managed in time as well as space, take efficient paths and don’t waste burning fuel in unnecessary holds. Also, ADS-B has been rolled out as an alternative surveillance system to radar, based on digital information rather than crude, pulse-firing technology where aircraft identification can take up precious time.
With approaches, the WAAS system in the U.S. has allowed differential correction of GPS position errors and with Egnos (European geostationary navigation overlay system) coming online this year the first approaches are coming on line at locations such as Pau is southern France, for initial testing. Also under development is Europe’s own GPS system, Galileo, although that is bogged down in funding issues.