The Main Air Traffic Control Tower and the radar Operations Centre at Bandaranaike International Airport had initiated operations utilizing full digital technology and those improvements were part of the ongoing modernisation programme to enhance Air Traffic Control operations at the airport, Ports, Shipping and Aviation Ministry said yesterday (21).
The inauguration of this latest Digital Air Traffic Management System took place yesterday, presided over by the Minister of Ports, Shipping, and Aviation, Nimal Siripala de Silva.
Previously, Air Traffic Controllers manually documented information pertaining to departing and arriving aircrafts, a process managed between the Air Traffic Control Tower and the RADA Centre.
The introduction of the latest Air Traffic Management System facilitates real-time dissemination of essential data to pertinent nodes. This innovation expedites and optimizes all air navigation services within Sri Lankan airspace, accommodating an increased volume of aircraft through the implementation of this state-of-the-art system.
In contrast to its predecessor, the new system boasts superior technological capabilities. While the former system could solely measure the cruising altitude, position, and airspeed of an aircraft, the latest system at the airport enables the acquisition of comprehensive data directly from the aircraft cockpit. This enhancement results in a 100% improvement in data accuracy concerning the safety of aircraft.
The financial investment made by Airport and Aviation Services (Sri Lanka) Ltd to establish this cutting-edge system amounts to approximately Rs. 1.2 billion.
The Secretary to the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Aviation K.D.S. Ruwanchandra, Chairman of the Airport and Aviation Services (Sri Lanka) Ltd –G.A. Chandrasiri and a number of officers also attended the occasion.