Point Merge

Improving and harmonising arrival operations.

THIS IS PART OF

Point Merge is a systemised method for sequencing arrival flows developed by the EUROCONTROL Innovation Hub (formerly Experimental Centre) in 2006.

Point Merge is intended to be used primarily for arrival sequencing toward the runway(s), after reduction of arrival congestion through current flow and arrival management at larger horizons.

Starting with Oslo (2011) and Dublin (2012), Point Merge spread worldwide and is now operational for 61 airports through 23 countries and 4 continents, such as Seoul, Kuala Lumpur, Istanbul, Tokyo, Shanghai, Beijing, Bogota, São Paulo, Mexico, Guanghzhu, Shenzen, Lisbon.

Point Merge is one of the ICAO aviation system block upgrades (ASBU) and is referenced as a technique to support continuous descent operations (CDO - ICAO doc 9931).

Interactive map (beta version) of Point Merge deployment sites, related arrival procedures detected and main characteristics of each design

Traditional radar vectoring makes for a heavy controller workload, a great deal of radio communication, diminution of pilot situational awareness, difficulty in predicting and improving vertical profiles and large dispersion at low altitudes.

Point Merge is expected to provide benefits in terms of safety, capacity and/or environment even with high traffic loads.

Depending on the operational and environmental constraints, and on the design choice made, these expected benefits include:

simplification of controller tasks and better pilot situational awareness;
reduction of communications and workload;
more orderly flows of traffic with a better view of arrival sequences;
improved containment of flown trajectories after the merge point;
standard intercept reducing the risk of unstabilised approaches;
better trajectory prediction, allowing for improved flight efficiency;
standardisation of operations and better airspace management.

How point merge works - graphical representation

Point Merge is designed to work in high traffic loads without radar vectoring. It is based on a specific P-RNAV route structure, consisting of a point (the merge point) and pre-defined legs (the sequencing legs) equidistant from this point. The sequencing is achieved with a “direct-to” instruction to the merge point at the appropriate time. The legs are only used to delay aircraft when necessary (“path stretching”); the length of the legs reflects the required delay absorption capacity.