Airbus subsidiary to provide JetSMART with ROPS

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.”

ROPS is an on-board cockpit technology, which Airbus and NAVBLUE have pioneered over several years. It is an alerting system that 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 with many more 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.