Warsaw Chopin Airport as the first in Poland with category III ILS

Warsaw Chopin Airport received today a certificate from the President of the Civil Aviation Authority authorizing it to perform landing operations in conditions of limited visibility for category III A on Runway 3 in the direction of 33. A certificate for ILS III A means that planes will be able to land at significantly weaker weather conditions, which in turn will translate into fewer redirections to other airports, as well as reduce potential delays. The capital airport is the first in Poland that has the third category of ILS.

The new system has been installed in the direction of "33" landings (landings from the Piaseczno side), where, according to the statistics, most landing operations are performed. So far, landing was possible under conditions in which vertical visibility (i.e. the height at which the pilot must see the runway) was not less than 30 meters and 300 meters of visibility along the runway (RVR). The latest solutions allow landing even with vertical visibility below 30m and horizontal 175m. As part of the adaptation of systems and procedures to the new category, the conditions for performing take-offs in conditions of limited visibility from the RVR not less than 150 m have also changed to not less than 125 m.

"In agreement with the Polish Air Navigation Services Agency (PANSA), we have applied to the President of the Civil Aviation Office to extend the scope of our airport certificate for category III A, based on detailed analyzes and historical meteorological data from the airport area. We are still conducting research to confirm whether there is an economic and operational justification for introduction of category III B. "- says Hubert Wojciechowski, Director of the Marketing and PR Office. "The higher ILS category also means greater accessibility of the airport and higher capacity in low visibility conditions. Our data shows that the biggest difference will be noticeable in the autumn and winter months."

Chopin Airport, in cooperation with PANSA, has also introduced special operational procedures and methods of conducting and ensuring the separation of aircraft in the airport's maneuvering area, all in accordance with the highest standards defined by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). The airport has installed new navigation and protective lighting on taxiways and runways as well as new approach lights and modernized the navigation lighting control system.