Performance-Based navigation is a capability where the aircraft and its crew determine whether they can safely achieve the specified performance and thereby qualify to perform a specific operation. The concept of Required Navigational Performance (RNP)can be viewed as exclusionary,making certain operations or elements of the national airspacenot accessible to aircraft and crewsthat do not meet the specifiedqualifications for entry.Category II and III instrument approaches are good examples. If the aircraft is not equipped and certified for Category II or III operations, and if the crew is not trained and certified to perform Category II and III operations, the flight is restricted from performing those operations and must divert to an alternate airport where the meteorological conditions are above categoryII or III, as appropriate.

Comment on some other examples of RNP, are these examples exclusionary to certain aircraft operations, and is that fair, given that the National AirspaceSystem grants equal access to all operations?