News arriving at airports, to increase the safety of the runways. Skyguide, the leading provider of navigation services for Switzerland, and Indra, a global technology and consultancy company, have in fact tested in Zurich a new solution that improves landing safety increasing incoming and outgoing traffic management capabilities. The solution, to which SkySoft-ATM and Zurich Airport also contributed, was developed as part of the Advanced Runway Safety Improvement (ARSI) project.
Specifically, the TRACE system - SkySoft-ATM electronic flight boards used by Skyguide - integrates with Indra's InNOVA Ground guidance and traffic management system (A-SMGCS). This causes in the control tower, air traffic controllers receive an immediate warning electronically in case critical security decisions are detected.
“The solution is based on the information entered in the electronic flight records. The system immediately detects potential critical situations, due to conflicts or non-compliant instructions, allowing more reaction time in crisis situations,” he explains Terje Dalen, product manager of Indra Tower Systems. “Skyguide and Zurich Airport are pioneers, but any airport with a large number of runway movements could benefit from the solution.”
Air traffic controllers at Zurich Airport, the first to install the system, have ensured that the new solution is able to offer greater awareness of traffic status. “The controllers actively participated in the design and development of the solution. It was important for us to minimize the amount of information they have to enter into the system,” explains Jörn Winkler, Project Manager at Skyguide. “The result is a fully integrated, semi-automated tower system. The response from users is very positive”.
