It’s an idea that was born around the mountains of Tibet and New Zealand but it may be landing in the near future at an airport near you.

It’s called “Required Navigation Performance” (RNP) and it was originally designed to assist pilots in navigating their way around difficult mountainous regions.

The concept called for an electronic arrival path to be mapped out for the pilot, so that safety measures could be maximized and dangerous terrain could be avoided.

In the twelve years that followed, several airlines adopted the approach and they found a somewhat unexpected side benefit along the way.

They also discovered that the RNP technology helped in cutting fuel burn and reducing carbon dioxide emissions by directing pilots to the most efficient arrival path.

“It’s all about the fuel,” former Qantas pilot Chris Manning told Aviation Week magazine. “RNP is the way forward for airlines to deal with global warming.”

Now twelve years after its initial arrival and the RNP concept looks to be gaining the attention of additional carriers, including Southwest Airlines.

Southwest is reportedly already in the process of converting its planes so that a “Required Navigation Performance” system is possible within its entire fleet. And in early 2009, William P. Hobby Airport (HOU) will play a major role in that transformation process.