r and more efficiently.
The Future of NextGen
The NextGen tool box is currently being tested in many of the major national airports, from ground control to in-flight and landing procedures. These new features have demonstrated improved traffic flow on the ground as well as to increased capacity in airspace on busy routes.
JFK and Memphis airports have participated in tests of new Surface Management programs to let greater aircraft flow on the ground.
To get a feel for the whole NextGen system in action, check out Florida’s airports. They have become the test centers for what nationwide deployment of NextGen will look like. Continuous Descent Arrivals are tested on the routes between state airports (including Miami, Orlando, and Daytona Beach) and the New York area airports (Teterboro, JFK, LaGuardia, and Newark).
The application of NextGen has demonstrated increased efficiency in coordinating the crowded corridors of the East Coast, once again saving money for the airlines and time for the passengers.
Since the safe and efficient use of airspace depends on how well the different systems in NextGen communicate with each other, the FAA has developed the System Wide Information Management (SWIM)—a platform that will allow this to happen.
For example, if a U.S. plane is on its way to Europe, SWIM will enable foreign and domestic aviation procedures and regulations to talk to each other.
Next Gen is expected to be fully integrated and operational nationwide by 2018.
In the meantime, as various aspects of NextGen make their way into the nation’s airports passengers may already find flights to be smoother and arrivals more timely, making for better fuel efficiency and more reasonable ticket rates. But, most importantly, NextGen will make for safer travel from gate to gate.