WASHINGTON, Oct. 4, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Boeing (NYSE: BA) today announced a research task order award from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to maximize performance-based navigation capabilities across the United States. The FAA initiated a $3.1 million task order for “Greener Skies Initiative 2.” The Boeing team will evaluate current precision navigation procedures and analyze new procedures to advance the use of flight deck and air traffic control capabilities in the national airspace system for an improved air traffic management system.

The Initiative builds on the success of the Greener Skies Over Seattle project, which demonstrated Alaska Airlines’ ability to cut fuel burn and reduce emissions by 35 percent compared to a conventional landing using precision navigation called Required Navigation Performance (RNP).

“The Greener Skies 2 initiative represents another critical milestone as Boeing helps to drive implementation of NextGen, the FAA’s program to transform the national airspace system,” said Neil Planzer, vice president, Air Traffic Management, Boeing Flight Services. “This research and development initiative supports Boeing’s strategic focus on maximizing the capabilities of Boeing aircraft and implement RNP globally.”

Required Navigation Performance (RNP) is a GPS-based navigation technology that enables aircraft to fly precise and predefined paths to closely spaced parallel runways. The result is more efficient departure, en-route and approach profiles and a reduction in fuel usage, emissions and noise. The research will help create new procedures in flight deck and air traffic control ground-based systems, which will lead to new reduced separation criteria and increased safety margins.

The procedures will be tested at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and Seattle’s Boeing Field for future implementation at capacity-constrained airports across the United States.

The contract is a task order award under the FAA’s Systems Engineering 2020 (SE-2020) contract. Boeing will lead an industry consortium consisting of SE-2020 team members Adacel, Airbus, Cessna and Honeywell. Boeing’s Air Traffic Management team draws on expertise from across Boeing, including Commercial Airplanes, Flight Services, including Boeing subsidiary Jeppesen, Boeing Research and Technology and Boeing Defense, Space & Security.

Boeing, Alaska Airlines, the Port of Seattle and the FAA began the Greener Skies partnership in 2009. In 2010, the FAA approved Greener Skies as an official FAA project.