Oct. 30, 2018
NavCanada recently announced six new nighttime RNAV (GNSS) X instrument approach procedures at Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ), effective Nov. 8. The new nighttime RNAV (GNSS) X approaches are for Runway 5, Runways 6 Left and Right, Runway 23 and Runways 24 Left and Right.
ATC will use the new approaches from 12:30 a.m.to 6:30 a.m. local time to avoid residential areas. Instead of straight-in approaches or “T” transitions, the new procedures use transitions that, in the initial approach segment, could include multiple legs.
Although traffic levels are significantly lower at night, NavCanada said, “aircraft noise can be more noticeable for some residents during these periods as ambient community and household noise levels are typically lower.” The lower traffic levels “provide the opportunity to employ routes that impact fewer people.”
Automatic Terminal Information Service (ATIS) will announce when the new approaches are in use as the primary IFR approach, and “ATC will expect the aircraft to be set up for that approach.” Pilots must advise Toronto Arrival on first contact that they are “unable to comply with ATIS, and that an alternate approach is necessary.”
Conditions will determine when the new nighttime approaches “will be advertised as the primary approach,” and pilots “can expect to be cleared directly to the initial approach waypoint, then subsequently cleared for the approach including the appropriate transition.”
NavCanada has designed the flight paths to minimize the noise footprint for the approach phase of the arrivals, so their vertical flight paths have not been optimized for the transition from the STAR. “Pilots should anticipate a possible change in vertical profile…that may leave an aircraft high. In some instances, pilot may need to use additional drag to regain the vertical profile or request additional spacing from ATC in some STAR/runway pairings,” according to NavCanada.
International Business Aviation Council Ltd.