Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport (ATL) Reduced Divergence Area Navigation (RNAV) Standard Instrument Departures (SIDs)

EFFECTIVE: October 20 , 2011

Beginning Thursday, October 20, 2011, ATL will implement new Reduced Divergence RNAV SIDs. These SIDs have been designed to aid in noise abatement and add departure capacity to the ATL airport while maintaining an equivalent level of safety when compared to existing separation standards. To achieve this, ATL will implement the Equivalent Lateral Spacing Operations (ELSO) standard developed by MITRE Corporation and approved for implementation by FAA Waiver 11-T-05.

  1. Reduced Divergence RNAV SIDs will be conducted daily between 0700-2300 Local Time. Between 2300-0700 Local Time, aircraft will be issued noise abatement radar vectors.

  2. Pilots must ensure that they are operating on the current RNAV database (dated 10/20/2011 or later) and that the correct departure runway is entered into the Flight Management Computer (FMC) prior to departure.

    NOTE- Several fixes/waypoints on the new SIDs are new or have moved from their previous location.

  3. ATL controllers will issue departure clearances to RNAV aircraft using the "RNAV to" phraseology. Example - "DAL123, RNAV to SNUFY, Runway 26L, Cleared for Takeoff." In this case, SNUFY would be the first named fix/waypoint on the SID to be flown. The pilot is expected to verify that the fix/waypoint displayed on the Flight Management System (FMS) corresponds to the fix/waypoint issued in the departure clearance. If the fix/waypoint is not identical, pilots must request a vector from the Tower.

  4. Advise ATC immediately of any RNAV anomaly and request vectors as necessary.

  5. Extra vigilance is required in order to ensure the highest level of safety. The ATL Reduced Divergence RNAV SIDs commonly use divergence less than 15-degrees as depicted in Figure #1 and #2 below. Departure tracks may be separated by as little as 10-degrees.

Figure #1
Normal Departure Operations Utilizing the ELSO Standard
(Dual Departures)

Diagram showing the normal departure operations.

Figure #2
Normal Departure Operations Utilizing the ELSO Standard
(Triple Departures)

Diagram showing the normal departure operations for triple departures.

Questions about this operation should be referred to:

James K Allerdice, Jr.

NEXTGEN Support Specialist

Atlanta TRACON (A80)

Ph: 678-364-6169

Email: james.allerdice@faa.gov