ETOPS – EDTO – LROPS , What are They ?
Many words in aviation that we cannot make sense of at first can actually be abbreviations explaining a sentence. Three of these are ETOPS, EDTO and LROPS. What do you think these words mean? Let’s see.
ETOPS is abbreviation for “Extended Range Twin-Engine Operations“. EDTO means “Extended Diversion Time Operations“. And LROPS means “Long Range Operations“. Let’s continue to examine in more detail.
ETOPS: ETOPS is the emergency order of twin engine aircraft that regulates how long they can stay in the air with a single engine. The routes of the planes are also drawn accordingly and care was taken to ensure that the airport to be landed in an emergency does not exceed a couple of distance from the route of the plane.
ETOPS can be revised according to the technical records of aircraft. For example, the disadvantage of B777 ETOPS regulation versus Airbus’ four-engine model A340 received an ETOPS permit for a maximum of 208 minutes. However, an airline company suffers an engine problem with a B777 may encounter a limitation in ETOPS time.
In November 2009, the Airbus A330 became the first aircraft type to receive ETOPS-240 approval. On 12 December 2011, the Boeing 777 raised the bar even higher with 330 ETOPS approvals. On May 28, 2014, ETOPS-330 certification was obtained for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Another aircraft type that was awarded the ETOPS-330 certification was Boeing 747-8 in February 2015. The Airbus A350, which officially entered service in the Qatar Airways fleet in January 2015, had an ETOPS time of 370 minutes in the first phase. In summary, ETOPS durations have been prolonged with the development of technical capacity and flight records.
ICAO Requirements for Extended Range Twin Engine Operations (ETOPS) have been in effect use since 1985. The aim in this application is to establish a general level of operational safety for twin-engine aircraft with that of modern three- and four-engine aircraft. Later, as aircraft reliability and range improved, it expanded the flight limits of all multi-turbine-engined aircraft from nearby alternatives to those farther away. These changes triggered a review of existing regulations for ETOPS.
ETOPS – EDTO – LROPS
After many years of discussions and studies on the recently stated situation, in 2012 ICAO Annex 6 Part 1, Amendment 36. This replaced ETOPS with the Extended Deflection Time Operations (EDTO) regime. However, since then, although the EDTO regime has been widely accepted, EDTO has not been universally adopted, and the ongoing ETOPS is permitted in Annex 6, provided that the EDTO concepts are “properly embodied in the relevant or documentation”. “ETOPS” has continued to be used by FAA and others as previously redefined as an acronym for “Extended Interval Transactions” instead of “Interval Twin Transactions”. EASA currently continues the ETOPS as originally defined and the acronym ‘LROPS’ (Long Range Operations) for extended range operations of three and four engine aircraft.
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