New Systems to Increase Airborne Safety and Monitoring at the Airport
The Aviation Engineering Division at Data Processing Systems (DPS), a leading UAE-based company specialised in technology integration, announced today the signing of a contract with Fujairah Department of Civil Aviation to implement the latest ground and airborne safety technology at Fujairah International Airport.
The project, due to be delivered in May 2007, is set to include Short-Term Conflict Alert (STCA) and Minimum Safe Altitude Warning (MSAW).
The technology is part of the SNET: safety NETS sub-system software package designed by Park Air Systems of Norway to monitor airborne movements in neighbouring airspace in order to detect and identify possible conflict situations.
SNET technology offers Fujairah Airport a wide variety of airport solutions including STCA, which helps prevent aircraft from flying too closely to each other; the MSAW system which aids pilots when dust, fog and cloud conditions impede clear visual assessment; and a danger area infringement warning to alert civil aircraft from straying into militarised or closed airspace zones.
Due to Fujairah International Airport’s location and natural environment – the mountainous and hilly region of Arabia’s north-west peninsula – SNET will be particularly useful in aiding pilots navigating in and out of the airport and surrounding airspace.
The Nova 9000 Recording and Playback System (RPS), also part of the project, provides storage and easy retrieval of all information at the controller working positions and, in the unlikely event of an accident or incident that warrants investigation, the technology offers features like 25-hour continuous recording without operator intervention, and monitoring of areas and details relevant to operator actions, including hi-res radar videos of the Controller’s Working Position (CWP).
The playback facility, performed on a separate unit, allows for the reconstruction of the flight or ground picture as it was at the time of the incident and can perform real time reviews. It offers a clear and detailed understanding of what was happening at each controller working position at the time of the incident.
“Park Air Systems technology is favoured around the world and especially in the Middle East region. DPS is pleased to continue its long-standing relationship with the Fujairah Department of Civil Aviation and Fujairah International Airport with the signing of this Contract,” said Alan Bourjeily, general manager of the aviation engineering division at DPS.
“Excluding aircraft purchases, recent figures suggest that the regional airport development industry is a USD40 billion market over the next 20 years so we see massive growth potential for ATC related projects. As aviation and airport technology specialists, DPS will continue to be the leader in offering the most sophisticated and innovative technologies to the local and regional industry,” added Bourjeily.