1998 q4-etops-expansion in the north pacific market

8/13/2019 1998 Q4-ETOPS-Expansion in the North Pacific Market

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ETOPS:Expansion in the North Pacific Market

For nearly 14 years, operators around the world have successfullyconducted extended-range twin-engine operations (ETOP! withco""ercial airplanes# Even though twin$ets are used glo%ally onETOP routes, they do"inate traffic in the &orth 'tlantic "aret in

particular# )ecently, so"e *## and 'sian operators have shownincreased interest in using twin$ets in the &orth Pacific "aret, whereseveral operators plan to introduce the +++# hanges in air serviceagree"ents %etween nations, open-sies policies, and the availa%ility ofecono"ically efficient twin$ets "ay open additional point-to-pointoperations %etween cities in &orth '"erica and 'sia# ithin a decade,these changes "ay also lead to ETOP growth in the &orth Pacific"aret that could "irror the current level of activity in the &orth 'tlantic#Flight under extended-range twin-engine operations (ETOP! rules has proven

to %e routine, safe, and highly successful around the world# ETOP allows two-engine-airplane operation for up to 1./ "in fro" an en route alternate airport#ETOP has %een used successfully on airplanes %uilt %y all "a$or airfra"e"anufacturers, including 0oeing (++, +2+, +3+, +++, and 5-./!# The +3+ is the"ost widely used airplane for ETOP, and the world fleet of +3+s has $ustco"pleted its one "illionth ETOP flight# Though twin$ets fly ETOP routesaround the world, they do"inate in the &orth 'tlantic "aret and show potentialfor the sa"e success in the &orth Pacific ETOP "aret#

*nderstanding ETOP expansion includes a review of the following6

1# ETOP success7# 8istory of ETOP in the &orth 'tlantic "aret# Potential operations in the &orth Pacific "aret4# 'vaila%ility of en route alternate airports2# 0oeing support of ETOP

ETOPS Success0oeing twin$ets co"plete a%out 3// ETOP flights a day around the world (figure
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1!, for a total of "ore than 1.,/// such flights each "onth and al"ost 1#72"illion flights since 19.2# Operators, regulatory authorities, and "anufacturershave wored together to achieve a rate of in-flight shutdowns that is well %elowthe target set %yregulatory authorities# :n addition, the excellent propulsion-related safety record of the twin$ets has not only %een "aintained %ut potentially

enhanced %y the process-related provisions associated with ETOP-type designand operational approvals# o"e operators have adopted these ETOPprocesses into their three- and four-engine airplane fleets and recorded nota%lei"prove"ents in overall relia%ility#

History of ETOPS in theNorth Atlantic MarketThe nu"%er of ETOP flights %etween &orth '"erica and Europe has increaseddra"atically since 19.2, when twin-engine operations across the &orth 'tlanticwere virtually nonexistent (figure 7!# 0y 199/, however, *## operators wereconducting "ore &orth 'tlantic flight seg"ents with two-engine airplanes thanwith three- and four-engine airplanes co"%ined# This dra"atic change occurred

%ecause efficient twin$ets with the re;uired range and seating capacities wereintroduced and %ecause the ETOP concept was approved, per"itting operatorsto fly these twin$ets on the "ost opti"u" routes across the &orth 'tlantic#

'irplane availa%ility affects operators< strategies and the type of service theyprovide# :n the early 19+/s, operators had few airplane choices to serve long-range routes %etween the *nited tates and Europe# Econo"ically efficienttwin$ets such as the +2+ and +3+, which had the range for such routes, ca"eonto the "aret in the early 19./s# ith the advent of ETOP in 19.2, operatorscould use these twin$ets efficiently across the &orth 'tlantic# 0y adding theselong-range airplanes with fewer seats, operators offered the traveling pu%lic "ore

choices %etween existing city pairs %y increasing the nu"%er of flights andproviding a wider variety of departure ti"es# 'dditionally, operators %egan to add"ore new city pairs %etween Europe and &orth '"erica# ETOP "ade itpossi%le for this new generation of airplanes to use its inherent range capa%ilitiesto reshape the &orth 'tlantic "aret#

Potential Operations in theNorth Pacific MarketThe *nited tates and =apan recently signed a %ilateral agree"ent that allows a2/ percent increase in the route fre;uencies esta%lished %etween the two nationsin 'ugust 199+# Open-sies agree"ents, which allow operators in twoconsenting nations to freely introduce service %etween any two cities in eachcountry, have already %een esta%lished %etween the *nited tates and 0runei,alaysia, &ew >ealand, ingapore, outh ?orea, Taiwan, and Thailand# Theresulting relaxation or co"plete re"oval of li"its on the nu"%er of flights%etween Pacific )i" nations will liely allow operators to introduce airplanes withfewer seats, increase the flight fre;uency %etween existing city pairs, andinaugurate new city pairs# The availa%ility of the +3+ and +++ gives operators theopportunity to "atch the appropriate airplane to the de"ands of the &orth Pacific"aret# everal &orth '"erican and 'sian operators, including 'ir anada,
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'siana 'irlines, anadian 'irlines :nternational, hina outhern 'irlines, and*nited Parcel ervice, have operated or are currently operating twin$ets on theseETOP routes in the &orth Pacific#

Availability of En RoutAlternate Airports

Planning for ETOP re;uires operators to select en route alternate airports#'ccording to the *## Federal 'viation 'd"inistration (F''! 'dvisory ircular17/-47' on ETOP, @These suita%le en route alternates serve a differentpurpose than the destination alternate airport and would nor"ally %e used only inthe event of an engine failure or loss of pri"ary airplane syste"s#@

0oeing data as of 5ece"%er 1, 199+, show that on average, an engine failure inthe ETOP portion of the flight causes one diversion to an ETOP en routealternate for every +/,/// flights#

Though the focus on en route alternate airports is pri"arily for twin$ets, these

airports are i"portant for the safety of all long-range operations regardless of thenu"%er of engines# ' sufficient nu"%er of these airports "ust %e availa%le tosupport unscheduled landings due to such e"ergencies as cargo fire,deco"pression, fuel lea, passenger illness, or severe tur%ulence# 0oeing datashow that on several occasions, +4+s and 5-1/s have diverted to variousislands in the Pacific, na"ely 'da, idway, he"ya, and ae# )easons forthese diversions included passenger or crew "edical e"ergency, anunanticipated headwind re;uiring additional fuel, and a +4+ diversion to ae foran engine fire warning#

ETOP rules re;uire operators to ensure availa%ility of en route alternate

airports# 8owever, data collected worldwide (figure !show that a four-engineairplane has as "uch, if not greater, need for diversion to such airports forengine-related causes# Ensuring the availa%ility of en route alternates is a soundoperational practice for all airplanes#

The &orth Pacific has several en route alternate airports (figure 4!that "eet theETOP re;uire"ents for air traffic control, approach navigational aids,e"ergency services, runway load-%earing capacity and length, and weatherreporting to successfully plan ETOP flights# 0oeing data indicate that "ost ofthese airports "eet the re;uire"ents to support a wide variety of airplanes,including the +++#

5epending on the type of airfra"eAengine co"%ination and the ETOP single-engine speed, operations under 1./-"in ETOP "ay %e possi%le %etween the*nited tates and =apan $ust using 'nchorage, 'lasa, in the *nited tates, and?ushiro, =apan, as ETOP en route alternates# 8owever, for so"eairfra"eAengine co"%inations and the single-engine speed selected, one "oreen route alternate "ay %e needed %etween 'nchorage and ?ushiro to operateunder 1./-"in ETOP or provide additional flexi%ility in routing (figure 2!#
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Prior to dispatch of an ETOP flight, operators "ust ensure that the weather atthe selected alternate airport "eets the ETOP weather "ini"u"s (a certainlevel of ceiling and visi%ility "ini"u"s!# 0oeing studied the weather data fro"19.2 through 1994 at alternate airports such as agadan, Petropavlovs, in)ussia, and several airports in 'lasa# )esults of the study showed the

pro%a%ility of si"ultaneous airport closure as al"ost Bero# The analysis showedthat at least one airport will always %e availa%le %etween 'nchorage and ?ushiro#everal other ade;uate airports for ETOP exist in the "id-Pacific, includingCua", a$uro, idway, aipan, and ae# 5ata indicate that these airports will%e availa%le as en route alternates for the foreseea%le future# These airports can%e used as en route alternates for %oth &orth and id-Pacific operations#Operators and pilots in co""and will gain additional flexi%ility if the F'' and=oint 'viation 'uthorities approve a 12 percent operational extension of thecurrent 1./-"in rule, as discussed in @'nticipated ETOP 5evelop"ents#@

oein! Support of ETOPS

The 0oeing co""it"ent to providing world-class custo"er service extends toETOP planning and approval support# 0oeing is prepared to share withoperators the data it has collected on &orth Pacific airports as well as routeanalyses#

Su""aryThe introduction of twin$ets reshaped the &orth 'tlantic "aret, and operatorsfurther expanded service to "a$or transportation centers when econo"icallyefficient long-range twin$ets entered service and ETOP was approved# Travel%etween s"aller city pairs in Europe and &orth '"erica also %enefited throughincreased point-to-point services# :nternational air service agree"ents such as

open-sies and the %ilateral agree"ent %etween =apan, other 'sian nations, andthe *nited tates are expected to increase flight fre;uencies in the &orth Pacific"aret# These agree"ents, co"%ined with the availa%ility of econo"icallyefficient, long-range airplanes such as the +++, "ay fuel the growth of ETOP inthe &orth Pacific to the current level of activity in the &orth 'tlantic# everalairports in the &orth Pacific are e;uipped to "eet ETOP planning re;uire"entsand so serve as en route alternates for twin$ets as well as for three- and four-engine long-range airplanes#

--------------------------------------------------ETOPS History:n 192, the *nited tates developed regulations that prohi%ited two- and three-engine airplanes fro" routes "ore than 3/ "in fro" an ade;uate airport (single-engine flying ti"e!, unless approved %y the *## Federal 'viation 'd"inistration(F''!# ?nown as the @3/-"inute rule,@ this restriction was %ased "ainly on therelia%ility of piston engines used on airplanes in the 194/s and early 192/s# '
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reco""endation %y the :nternational ivil 'viation OrganiBation, also in effectsince 192, restricted the use of two-engine airplanes to routes 9/ "in fro" anade;uate airport (all-engine flying ti"e!# :n 1934, the F'' re"oved the 3/-"inrestriction on three-engine airplanes#

0y the 19+/s, advances in engine technology yielded a tenfold relia%ilityi"prove"ent over early piston engines# :n 19., the new generation of twin$etspowered %y high-%ypass tur%ofan engines %eca"e the su%$ect of extensivediscussions involving international aviation regulatory authorities, airfra"e andengine "anufacturers, and pilot and passenger associations# The discussionsfocused on the suita%ility of these twin$ets to fly ETOP and cul"inated in 19.2with the release of new re;uire"ents for o%taining F'' approval to operatetwin$ets %eyond the 3/-"in rule# The new re;uire"ents per"itted operators tosee approval for routes up to 17/ "in fro" an ade;uate airport (single-engineflying ti"e!, and were pu%lished in F'' 'dvisory ircular 17/-47#

:n 19.., after three years of successful ETOP experience, the 'dvisory ircularwas "odified to include provisions for up to 1./-"in ETOP# 'viation authoritiesin France, the *nited ?ingdo", and several other countries also revised theirregulations to incorporate si"ilar provisions# :n addition, :nfor"ation Deaflet 7/pu%lished %y the European =oint 'viation 'uthorities (=''! provides for 1./-"inETOP#

' successful record of ETOP operations has proven that the world


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'EDE)'TE5 ETOP OPE)'T:O&'D 'PP)O'D

This "ethod has %eco"e the "ost preferred "eans of o%taining ETOPoperational approval# 'ccelerated ETOP e"phasiBes the process-orientednature of ETOP and can reduce or eli"inate the need for in-service experienceprior to ETOP operations# Operators "ust show their respective regulatoryauthorities that they have all necessary ETOP processes in place %efore%eginning ETOP operations#

)E*E '&5 F:)E F:C8T:&C ()FF! )E*:)EE&T

The decision %y the anadian Covern"ent to withdraw rescue and fire servicefro" s"all-capacity airports pro"pted operators in %oth Europe and &orth

'"erica to re;uest guidance on )FF re;uire"ents for ETOP en routealternates# Cuidance was re;uested fro" the European =oint 'viation 'uthorities(=''! and the *## Federal 'viation 'd"inistration (F''!, respectively# The F''is planning to issue a policy letter that will define the )FF level re;uired atETOP en route alternates as ategory ', as specified in *## Federal 'viation)egulation 19# The F'' dee"s this to %e e;uivalent to :nternational ivil

'viation OrganiBation fire fighting category )FF 4# :n addition, the F'' will allowthe use of "unicipal fire depart"ents not located at the airport if their vehiclescan "eet the airplane with / "inutes< notice# The ='' has a"ended its ETOPinfor"ation leaflet (:D7/! to indicate )FF 4 as accepta%le for an ETOP-ade;uate airport#

:&CDE-E&C:&E PEE5

The F'' and ='' have agreed upon the definition of single-engine speed forETOP# Operators are per"itted to select any speed up to the "axi"u"certified speed and use it for critical fuel and area-of-operations calculations# TheF'' and ='' have also agreed on allowing credit for single-engine driftdown

when deter"ining the area of ETOP operations#

--------------------------------------------------Anticipate$ ETOPS #evelop"entso"e of the principal changes %eing considered to the current extended-rangetwin-engine operations (ETOP! rule are the following6

12 percent operational extension#

)eview of re;uire"ents#

12 PE)E&T OPE)'T:O&'D EGTE&:O&

To enhance operational flexi%ility, the ETOP rules pu%lished in the "id-19./sallowed for 17/-"in operations with the possi%ility of a 12 percent operationalextension# hen the rules were revised to include 1./-"in ETOP, a si"ilarprovision per"itting a 12 percent operational extension on 1./ "in was notincluded# The aviation industry is seeing a 12 percent operational extension on


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the 1./-"in rule to per"it operators (and the pilot in co""and! further flexi%ilityin selecting the "ost opti"u" en route alternate airports#

)E:E OF )E*:)EE&T

*sing ETOP has %eco"e a standard for "any operators, and several Europeanoperators have re;uested the =oint 'viation 'uthorities ETOP oring Croupto consider revisiting the ETOP re;uire"ents# Their intent is to retain thoseele"ents that add value to their ETOP operations and delete what theyconsider unnecessary restrictions on two-engine-airplane operations#

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Mohan Pan$eyanager,)egulatory 'ffairs and ETOPEngineering0oeing o""ercial 'irplane Croup


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rian S"ithEngineer,)egulatory 'ffairs and ETOP Engineering0oeing o""ercial 'irplane Croup

1998 q4-etops-expansion in the north pacific market

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