GE Aviation has received the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) seal of approval as a qualified instrument flight procedure (IFP) design organization. The endorsement will assist countries in identifying IFP companies as they move forward with performance-based navigation (PBN). GE is one of five companies to receive the endorsement.

PBN allows aircraft to fly precisely defined flight paths without reliance on ground-based navaids. Required navigation performance, an advanced form of PBN, allows aircraft to fly shorter and more precise routes, reducing fuel burn, flight delays and air-traffic congestion. GE’s PBN Service unit is currently working with aircraft operators and air traffic management organizations in Australia, Canada, Central and South America and the U.S. to implement PBN.

Separately, GE announced it is creating a new set of global airport mapping databases to bring the next generation of airport situational awareness to business aviation. “Future airspace technologies such as digital Notams, data-comm, taxi guidance, aeronautical information management and system-wide information management require the highly precise digitized surface features embedded in GE’s airport maps,” said Dottie Hall, GE product leader.

GE’s airport mapping databases include features and functions of airport layouts in the aeronautical information exchange model (AIXM) format. Imagery for GE databases is collected from GeoEye satellites and is suitable for use in synthetic vision systems and electronic flight bags.