BHUBANESWAR: The Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) on Thursday adopted the indigenously built advanced air traffic management automation system (ATMAS) which provides enhanced safety and efficiency in flight handling.
A collaboration of the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), ATMAS will support controllers with conflict prediction and alert warnings as well as decision-making tools to ensure safe and efficient air traffic control at BPIA.
AAI’s decision to install ATMAS at all medium and major air traffic control centres will not only lead to enhanced safety and operational efficiency but also help alleviate the stress levels of the controllers.AAI chairman Sanjeev Kumar who unveiled the automated air traffic management system here said the system was thoroughly tested in the last two to three months. He was hopeful the system would soon be installed in other medium-size airports.
The joint development of ATMAS has enhanced the capabilities and expertise of AAI and BEL in the field of air traffic management and R&D which is in line with the Centre’s Atmanirbhar Bharat and Make in India initiatives, a senior officer said. It will also reduce AAI’s dependence on foreign countries for procurement of air navigation services equipment and save foreign exchange outlay too.“It is time for us to not only become consumers of services and components which are required in civil aviation but also start to make contributions across the world and export ATMAS,” the AAI chief said.
Integrated with an advanced surface movement guidance and control system, the new system will help reduce controllers’ workload, improve air traffic flow and minimise flight delays. ATMAS comprises multiple in-house developed technologies like situation display for air traffic controllers, surveillance data processing, flight data processing, safety net and decision support, control and monitoring display.
Equipped with state-of-the-art technology, the modern automation system was inaugurated at the newly built air traffic services complex in BPIA. CMD of BEL Bhanu Prakash Srivastava was also present at the inauguration. The MoU for the joint development of the indigenous ATMAS was signed between AAI and BEL during Wings India-2022 in Hyderabad last year.