Now, with the combination of SLS capability in the aircraft and SBAS augmentation coverage in the sky, the aircraft is able to perform accurate ILS-like CAT1 approaches in low-visibility conditions into the secondary airports too.”ĭiagram showing similarities between ILS and SLS mode symbols on PFD. By contrast, ILS is usually present at primary airports to allow precision tracking of the glidepath down to the runway decision height, and is especially useful in bad weather or when there are obstacles below the approach. Mathieu Hialé-Guilhamou Engineering Navigation Specialist explains: “It is often the ‘secondary airports’ which are less likely to have sufficient throughput of traffic to justify the cost of installing radio-based ILS equipment on the ground. during maintenance), or at alternate airports in case of diversion. SLS capability enhances the airlines’ operations by enabling stable approaches especially at airports currently not having precision approach means at main runways as a backup to ILS (e.g. SLS is also available on the A220 Family and will be soon offered on the A380.įacilitating precision approach access to secondary airports SLS first entered service in Europe with the A350 in 2015 after Airbus pioneered its development and introduction for *CAT1 approaches with the support of the EU Agency for the Space Programme (EuSPA), formerly known as the European GNSS Agency (GSA), and the European Commission. This function enables pilots to perform ‘straight-in’ approaches using satellite positioning into airports, even in low-visibility conditions. The most recent of these to be rolled out is a new certified cockpit avionics function for operators of the A320 and A330 families, for line-fit and retrofit – referred to as a satellite-based/augmented landing system ( SLS). Airbus has integrated these new technologies with an ILS look-alike interface which benefits from the ILS operational experience. Even if *ILS (Instrument Landing System) remains the primary means for precision approaches, new satellite navigation technologies are now in place to perform approaches. Thanks to global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) including GPS, aircraft navigation has significantly evolved over the past 25 years.

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