Evaluating operational benefits of terminal RNAV: Las Vegas case study

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) asked The MITRE Corporation to evaluate the effectiveness of implementing terminal area navigation (RNAV) procedures at Las Vegas McCarran International Airport (LAS). New RNAV procedures were implemented in November 2003 and have been in use for arrivals to runways at LAS since that time. MITRE's Center for Advanced Aviation System Development (CAASD) collected and examined flight track data from the FAAs terminal approach control facility at LAS for the purpose of this analysis. This paper presents the results of analysis of the flight track data for operations before RNAV was in use at LAS (in the year 2000) and several months after RNAV was being used at LAS (in the year 2004). The paper describes operational effects of RNAV and provides insight into these effects.