Photo: AW139 SAR Helicopter / Credits: SMA

The agreement is a step forward in the publication of EGNOS-based approach procedures in Sweden

ESSP, as EGNOS Service Provider, and the Swedish Maritime Administration Helicopter Unit (SMAHU) have recently signed an EGNOS Working Agreement (EWA), as a key step for the implementation of EGNOS-based approach procedures in Sweden.

Each EGNOS working agreement signed provides specific benefits depending on the institution’s mission. In this case, as Mr. Carl-Johan Malmberg, Director of Flight Operations indicated: ”The purpose of the EWA from our point of view is to be able to use GNSS approaches and departures on airports outside ATS opening hours and at sites where there is no airport operator with an EWA, I. e. hospitals and refueling sites.”

The Swedish Maritime Administration (SMA) is the responsible authority for Maritime and Aeronautical Search and Rescue (SAR) Services in Sweden.

Maritime and Aeronautical SAR in Sweden pursues extensive collaboration, both nationally and internationally, and handles the policy, regulatory affairs and operational of Search and Rescue services. They are based in Gothenburg.

The SAR System Management unit collaborates with other authorities and organizations working for the emergency services. They participate in international works with representatives from other countries and complete agreements on search and rescue issues at national and international levels. The unit also evaluates rescue inputs of particular interest and compiles annual statistics of completed search and rescue cases.

The EGNOS working agreement (EWA) was signed on November 2022, 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 SMAHU, as an organization willing to implement EGNOS-based procedures.

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 an important step in the international cooperation to employ EGNOS' precision signals and services in Sweden for a cost-effective navigation solution to the benefit of customers using air navigation in Sweden.