JetSMART Selects NAVBLUE’s ROPS System for Its Fleet

April 5, 2018
NAVBLUE will equip 100 aircraft, including retrofit of three aircraft already in operation. As a result JetSMART’s entire A320 Family fleet will be equipped with ROPS by the end of 2026.

Santiago de Chile, April 5, 2018– Airbus subsidiary NAVBLUE will provide Chile’s low-cost carrier JetSMART with the Airbus Runway Overrun Protection System (ROPS). Under the agreement, which was signed at the FIDAE Air Show in Santiago, Chile, NAVBLUE will equip 100 aircraft, including retrofit of three aircraft already in operation. As a result JetSMART’s entire A320 Family fleet will be equipped with ROPS by the end of 2026.

Estuardo Ortiz, CEO of JetSMART, said: “As a modern airline, our strategy is to look for the best aircraft with the most up-to-date systems, and Airbus A320 Family aircraft with ROPS are clearly the best answer to our crews’ needs in terms of safety of operation.”

Fabrice Hamel, CEO of NAVBLUE, said: “We are proud that the ROPS system has been selected by JetSMART, this deal is a true vote of confidence in our overrun protection solution.”

Runway Overrun Prevention System (ROPS) is an on-board cockpit technology which Airbus and NAVBLUE have pioneered over several years. It is an alerting system which reduces exposure to runway overrun risk, and if necessary, provides active protection. It compares remaining runway length to expected stopping distance in real time to prevent runway overrun. So far, ROPS has been installed on more than 900, single-aisle and Widebody aircraft and many more are awaiting delivery.

Runway excursion – meaning either an aircraft veering off the side of the runway, or overrunning at the very end – remains the primary cause of civil airliner hull losses. ROPS is the only overrun prevention system certified by all leading authorities.

JetSmart is an ultra low-cost Chilean airline created by US investment fund Indigo Partners, which also controls US airline Frontier Airlines, Mexico's Volaris and Hungarian airline Wizz Air. Its primary base of operations is Comodoro Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport in Santiago, Chile.

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About Airbus

Airbus is a global leader in aeronautics, space and related services. In 2017 it generated revenues of € 67 billion and employed a workforce of around 129,000. Airbus offers the most comprehensive range of passenger airliners from 100 to more than 600 seats. Airbus is also a European leader providing tanker, combat, transport and mission aircraft, as well as one of the world’s leading space companies. In helicopters, Airbus provides the most efficient civil and military rotorcraft solutions worldwide.