Credits: Jitka Erbenová (Wikimedia Commons)

The agreement will enable the publication of EGNOS-based approach procedures in České Budějovice (LKCS) airport

ESSP, as EGNOS Service Provider, and the Czech AFIS, Jihočeské letiště České Budějovice a.s. (JLČB), have recently signed an EGNOS Working Agreement (EWA) as a key step for the implementation of EGNOS-based approach procedures in Czech Republic.

České Budějovice Airport is a public domestic and non-public international airport operated by South Bohemian Airport České Budějovice a.s., owned by the South Bohemian Region.

The EGNOS working agreement (EWA) was signed on January 2023, and it establishes the operational and legal framework to use the EGNOS Safety-of-Life Service as a navigation aid between the EGNOS Service Provider – ESSP - and the Airport willing to use this service.

As you know, EGNOS is the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service. It provides an augmentation signal to the Global Positioning System (GPS) Standard Positioning Service (SPS). The EGNOS service enables RNP APCH (Required Navigation Performance Approach) down to a minimum as low as 200 feet (~60 meters).

This agreement is framed into the EU Space Program actions to get the highest security rates and accuracy systems in aviation through Satellite Based Navigation Protocol.

The signing of the EWA agreement concludes a step in the international cooperation to employ EGNOS' precision signals and services in Czech Republic for a cost-effective navigation solution to the benefit of customers using air navigation in this country.