There are plans in place to radically change the way the airspace is managed in Scotland. The Highlands and Islands Airports Limited (HIAL) is building a new combined surveillance centre, which will be the central hub for its air traffic management project. This project is the largest of its kind within UK air traffic control, and MEP is proud to be part of it.
The project will change the way air traffic services are provided at seven HIAL airports, by running activities in a centralised tower and surveillance centre and modernising the way airspace is managed. To enable this to happen, several of the airports in Scotland need to undergo extensive upgrades to their equipment to enable them to interface into the new centralised combined surveillance centre.
This is where MEP, together with our partner Copperchase, have been playing a major role. Copperchase have installed state-of-the-art MEP Voice Command and Control Systems (VCCS) in airports at Inverness, Dundee, Kirkwall and Sumburgh. This will enable them to seamlessly connect to the combined surveillance centre when it comes online.