ETOPS:Expansion in the North Pacific Market

For nearly 14 years, operators around the world have successfully conducted extended-range twin-engine operations (ETOP ! with co""ercial airplanes# Even though twin$ets are used glo%ally on ETOP routes, they do"inate traffic in the &orth 'tlantic "ar(et in particular# )ecently, so"e *# # and 'sian operators have shown increased interest in using twin$ets in the &orth Pacific "ar(et, where several operators plan to introduce the +++# ,hanges in air service agree"ents %etween nations, open-s(ies policies, and the availa%ility of econo"ically efficient twin$ets "ay open additional point-to-point operations %etween cities in &orth '"erica and 'sia# -ithin a decade, these changes "ay also lead to ETOP growth in the &orth Pacific "ar(et that could "irror the current level of activity in the &orth 'tlantic#
Flight under extended-range twin-engine operations (ETOP ! rules has proven to %e routine, safe, and highly successful around the world# ETOP allows twoengine-airplane operation for up to 1./ "in fro" an en route alternate airport# ETOP has %een used successfully on airplanes %uilt %y all "a$or airfra"e "anufacturers, including 0oeing (+1+, +2+, +3+, +++, and 45-./!# The +3+ is the "ost widely used airplane for ETOP , and the world fleet of +3+s has $ust co"pleted its one "illionth ETOP flight# Though twin$ets fly ETOP routes around the world, they do"inate in the &orth 'tlantic "ar(et and show potential for the sa"e success in the &orth Pacific ETOP "ar(et# *nderstanding ETOP expansion includes a review of the following6 1# 7# 1# 4# 2# ETOP success 8istory of ETOP in the &orth 'tlantic "ar(et Potential operations in the &orth Pacific "ar(et 'vaila%ility of en route alternate airports 0oeing support of ETOP

ETOPS Success 0oeing twin$ets co"plete a%out 3// ETOP flights a day around the world (figure

1!, for a total of "ore than 1.,/// such flights each "onth and al"ost 1#72 "illion flights since 19.2# Operators, regulatory authorities, and "anufacturers have wor(ed together to achieve a rate of in-flight shutdowns that is well %elow the target set %yregulatory authorities# :n addition, the excellent propulsionrelated safety record of the twin$ets has not only %een "aintained %ut potentially enhanced %y the process-related provisions associated with ETOP -type design and operational approvals# o"e operators have adopted these ETOP processes into their three- and four-engine airplane fleets and recorded nota%le i"prove"ents in overall relia%ility# History of ETOPS in theNorth Atlantic Market The nu"%er of ETOP flights %etween &orth '"erica and Europe has increased dra"atically since 19.2, when twin-engine operations across the &orth 'tlantic were virtually nonexistent (figure 7!# 0y 199/, however, *# # operators were conducting "ore &orth 'tlantic flight seg"ents with two-engine airplanes than with three- and four-engine airplanes co"%ined# This dra"atic change occurred %ecause efficient twin$ets with the re;uired range and seating capacities were introduced and %ecause the ETOP concept was approved, per"itting operators to fly these twin$ets on the "ost opti"u" routes across the &orth 'tlantic# 'irplane availa%ility affects operators< strategies and the type of service they provide# :n the early 19+/s, operators had few airplane choices to serve longrange routes %etween the *nited tates and Europe# Econo"ically efficient twin$ets such as the +2+ and +3+, which had the range for such routes, ca"e onto the "ar(et in the early 19./s# -ith the advent of ETOP in 19.2, operators could use these twin$ets efficiently across the &orth 'tlantic# 0y adding these long-range airplanes with fewer seats, operators offered the traveling pu%lic "ore choices %etween existing city pairs %y increasing the nu"%er of flights and providing a wider variety of departure ti"es# 'dditionally, operators %egan to add "ore new city pairs %etween Europe and &orth '"erica# ETOP "ade it possi%le for this new generation of airplanes to use its inherent range capa%ilities to reshape the &orth 'tlantic "ar(et# Potential Operations in theNorth Pacific Market The *nited tates and =apan recently signed a %ilateral agree"ent that allows a 2/ percent increase in the route fre;uencies esta%lished %etween the two nations in 'ugust 199+# Open-s(ies agree"ents, which allow operators in two consenting nations to freely introduce service %etween any two cities in each country, have already %een esta%lished %etween the *nited tates and 0runei, 4alaysia, &ew >ealand, ingapore, outh ?orea, Taiwan, and Thailand# The resulting relaxation or co"plete re"oval of li"its on the nu"%er of flights %etween Pacific )i" nations will li(ely allow operators to introduce airplanes with fewer seats, increase the flight fre;uency %etween existing city pairs, and inaugurate new city pairs# The availa%ility of the +3+ and +++ gives operators the opportunity to "atch the appropriate airplane to the de"ands of the &orth Pacific "ar(et# everal &orth '"erican and 'sian operators, including 'ir ,anada,

'siana 'irlines, ,anadian 'irlines :nternational, ,hina outhern 'irlines, and *nited Parcel ervice, have operated or are currently operating twin$ets on these ETOP routes in the &orth Pacific# Availability of En RoutAlternate Airports Planning for ETOP re;uires operators to select en route alternate airports# 'ccording to the *# # Federal 'viation 'd"inistration (F''! 'dvisory ,ircular 17/-47' on ETOP , @These suita%le en route alternates serve a different purpose than the destination alternate airport and would nor"ally %e used only in the event of an engine failure or loss of pri"ary airplane syste"s#@ 0oeing data as of 5ece"%er 11, 199+, show that on average, an engine failure in the ETOP portion of the flight causes one diversion to an ETOP en route alternate for every +/,/// flights# Though the focus on en route alternate airports is pri"arily for twin$ets, these airports are i"portant for the safety of all long-range operations regardless of the nu"%er of engines# ' sufficient nu"%er of these airports "ust %e availa%le to support unscheduled landings due to such e"ergencies as cargo fire, deco"pression, fuel lea(, passenger illness, or severe tur%ulence# 0oeing data show that on several occasions, +4+s and 5,-1/s have diverted to various islands in the Pacific, na"ely 'da(, 4idway, he"ya, and -a(e# )easons for these diversions included passenger or crew "edical e"ergency, an unanticipated headwind re;uiring additional fuel, and a +4+ diversion to -a(e for an engine fire warning# ETOP rules re;uire operators to ensure availa%ility of en route alternate airports# 8owever, data collected worldwide (figure 1! show that a four-engine airplane has as "uch, if not greater, need for diversion to such airports for engine-related causes# Ensuring the availa%ility of en route alternates is a sound operational practice for all airplanes# The &orth Pacific has several en route alternate airports (figure 4! that "eet the ETOP re;uire"ents for air traffic control, approach navigational aids, e"ergency services, runway load-%earing capacity and length, and weather reporting to successfully plan ETOP flights# 0oeing data indicate that "ost of these airports "eet the re;uire"ents to support a wide variety of airplanes, including the +++# 5epending on the type of airfra"eAengine co"%ination and the ETOP singleengine speed, operations under 1./-"in ETOP "ay %e possi%le %etween the *nited tates and =apan $ust using 'nchorage, 'las(a, in the *nited tates, and ?ushiro, =apan, as ETOP en route alternates# 8owever, for so"e airfra"eAengine co"%inations and the single-engine speed selected, one "ore en route alternate "ay %e needed %etween 'nchorage and ?ushiro to operate under 1./-"in ETOP or provide additional flexi%ility in routing (figure 2!#

Prior to dispatch of an ETOP flight, operators "ust ensure that the weather at the selected alternate airport "eets the ETOP weather "ini"u"s (a certain level of ceiling and visi%ility "ini"u"s!# 0oeing studied the weather data fro" 19.2 through 1994 at alternate airports such as 4agadan, Petropavlovs(, in )ussia, and several airports in 'las(a# )esults of the study showed the pro%a%ility of si"ultaneous airport closure as al"ost Bero# The analysis showed that at least one airport will always %e availa%le %etween 'nchorage and ?ushiro# everal other ade;uate airports for ETOP exist in the "id-Pacific, including Cua", 4a$uro, 4idway, aipan, and -a(e# 5ata indicate that these airports will %e availa%le as en route alternates for the foreseea%le future# These airports can %e used as en route alternates for %oth &orth and 4id-Pacific operations# Operators and pilots in co""and will gain additional flexi%ility if the F'' and =oint 'viation 'uthorities approve a 12 percent operational extension of the current 1./-"in rule, as discussed in @'nticipated ETOP 5evelop"ents#@ oein! Support of ETOPS The 0oeing co""it"ent to providing world-class custo"er service extends to ETOP planning and approval support# 0oeing is prepared to share with operators the data it has collected on &orth Pacific airports as well as route analyses# Su""ary The introduction of twin$ets reshaped the &orth 'tlantic "ar(et, and operators further expanded service to "a$or transportation centers when econo"ically efficient long-range twin$ets entered service and ETOP was approved# Travel %etween s"aller city pairs in Europe and &orth '"erica also %enefited through increased point-to-point services# :nternational air service agree"ents such as open-s(ies and the %ilateral agree"ent %etween =apan, other 'sian nations, and the *nited tates are expected to increase flight fre;uencies in the &orth Pacific "ar(et# These agree"ents, co"%ined with the availa%ility of econo"ically efficient, long-range airplanes such as the +++, "ay fuel the growth of ETOP in the &orth Pacific to the current level of activity in the &orth 'tlantic# everal airports in the &orth Pacific are e;uipped to "eet ETOP planning re;uire"ents and so serve as en route alternates for twin$ets as well as for three- and fourengine long-range airplanes#

-------------------------------------------------ETOPS History :n 1921, the *nited tates developed regulations that prohi%ited two- and threeengine airplanes fro" routes "ore than 3/ "in fro" an ade;uate airport (singleengine flying ti"e!, unless approved %y the *# # Federal 'viation 'd"inistration (F''!# ?nown as the @3/-"inute rule,@ this restriction was %ased "ainly on the relia%ility of piston engines used on airplanes in the 194/s and early 192/s# '

reco""endation %y the :nternational ,ivil 'viation OrganiBation, also in effect since 1921, restricted the use of two-engine airplanes to routes 9/ "in fro" an ade;uate airport (all-engine flying ti"e!# :n 1934, the F'' re"oved the 3/-"in restriction on three-engine airplanes# 0y the 19+/s, advances in engine technology yielded a tenfold relia%ility i"prove"ent over early piston engines# :n 19.1, the new generation of twin$ets powered %y high-%ypass tur%ofan engines %eca"e the su%$ect of extensive discussions involving international aviation regulatory authorities, airfra"e and engine "anufacturers, and pilot and passenger associations# The discussions focused on the suita%ility of these twin$ets to fly ETOP and cul"inated in 19.2 with the release of new re;uire"ents for o%taining F'' approval to operate twin$ets %eyond the 3/-"in rule# The new re;uire"ents per"itted operators to see( approval for routes up to 17/ "in fro" an ade;uate airport (single-engine flying ti"e!, and were pu%lished in F'' 'dvisory ,ircular 17/-47# :n 19.., after three years of successful ETOP experience, the 'dvisory ,ircular was "odified to include provisions for up to 1./-"in ETOP # 'viation authorities in France, the *nited ?ingdo", and several other countries also revised their regulations to incorporate si"ilar provisions# :n addition, :nfor"ation Deaflet 7/ pu%lished %y the European =oint 'viation 'uthorities (=''! provides for 1./-"in ETOP # ' successful record of ETOP operations has proven that the world<s airfra"e "anufacturers can design, %uild, and test airplanes suita%le for such operations, and that operators can successfully "aintain and fly the" on ETOP routes# :n 1992, following nearly 1/ years of successful ETOP , the F'' and ='' accepted the 'ccelerated ETOP Operational 'pproval "ethod# This allows new twin$ets to fly ETOP routes fro" the first day of revenue operations and has %een used extensively around the world (see @)ecent ETOP 5evelop"ents@!# *# # and European "anufacturers, regulatory authorities, and pilot unions continue to wor( together to "a(e further changes to ETOP re;uire"ents (see @'nticipated ETOP 5evelop"ents@!#

-------------------------------------------------Recent ETOPS #evelop"ents 5evelop"ents in the following three areas affect operators who use extendedrange twin-engine operations (ETOP !6

'ccelerated ETOP operational approval# )escue and fire fighting ()FF! re;uire"ents# ingle-engine speeds#

',,EDE)'TE5 ETOP OPE)'T:O&'D 'PP)OE'D

This "ethod has %eco"e the "ost preferred "eans of o%taining ETOP operational approval# 'ccelerated ETOP e"phasiBes the process-oriented nature of ETOP and can reduce or eli"inate the need for in-service experience prior to ETOP operations# Operators "ust show their respective regulatory authorities that they have all necessary ETOP processes in place %efore %eginning ETOP operations#
)E ,*E '&5 F:)E F:C8T:&C ()FF! )EF*:)E4E&T

The decision %y the ,anadian Covern"ent to withdraw rescue and fire service fro" s"all-capacity airports pro"pted operators in %oth Europe and &orth '"erica to re;uest guidance on )FF re;uire"ents for ETOP en route alternates# Cuidance was re;uested fro" the European =oint 'viation 'uthorities (=''! and the *# # Federal 'viation 'd"inistration (F''!, respectively# The F'' is planning to issue a policy letter that will define the )FF level re;uired at ETOP en route alternates as ,ategory ', as specified in *# # Federal 'viation )egulation 119# The F'' dee"s this to %e e;uivalent to :nternational ,ivil 'viation OrganiBation fire fighting category )FF 4# :n addition, the F'' will allow the use of "unicipal fire depart"ents not located at the airport if their vehicles can "eet the airplane with 1/ "inutes< notice# The ='' has a"ended its ETOP infor"ation leaflet (:D7/! to indicate )FF 4 as accepta%le for an ETOP ade;uate airport#
:&CDE-E&C:&E PEE5

The F'' and ='' have agreed upon the definition of single-engine speed for ETOP # Operators are per"itted to select any speed up to the "axi"u" certified speed and use it for critical fuel and area-of-operations calculations# The F'' and ='' have also agreed on allowing credit for single-engine driftdown when deter"ining the area of ETOP operations#

-------------------------------------------------Anticipate$ ETOPS #evelop"ents o"e of the principal changes %eing considered to the current extended-range twin-engine operations (ETOP ! rule are the following6

12 percent operational extension# )eview of re;uire"ents#

12 PE),E&T OPE)'T:O&'D EGTE& :O&

To enhance operational flexi%ility, the ETOP rules pu%lished in the "id-19./s allowed for 17/-"in operations with the possi%ility of a 12 percent operational extension# -hen the rules were revised to include 1./-"in ETOP , a si"ilar provision per"itting a 12 percent operational extension on 1./ "in was not included# The aviation industry is see(ing a 12 percent operational extension on

the 1./-"in rule to per"it operators (and the pilot in co""and! further flexi%ility in selecting the "ost opti"u" en route alternate airports#
)EE:E- OF )EF*:)E4E&T

*sing ETOP has %eco"e a standard for "any operators, and several European operators have re;uested the =oint 'viation 'uthorities ETOP -or(ing Croup to consider revisiting the ETOP re;uire"ents# Their intent is to retain those ele"ents that add value to their ETOP operations and delete what they consider unnecessary restrictions on two-engine-airplane operations# --------------------------------------------------

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Mohan Pan$ey 4anager, )egulatory 'ffairs and ETOP Engineering 0oeing ,o""ercial 'irplane Croup

rian S"ith Engineer, )egulatory 'ffairs and ETOP Engineering 0oeing ,o""ercial 'irplane Croup