Abu Dhabi Airports Company (Adac) will install the latest generation Air Traffic Control systems from Thales.

The project will be part of a $6.8 billion development scheme to introduce ultra-modern airport facilities at the Abu Dhabi International.

The development plans include a visually spectacular 109-metre tall, 20-storey Air Traffic Control Tower.

Using Thales’s integrated gate-to-gate solution that encompasses the en route, approach and airport phases, the new Air Traffic Control Tower will be fully operational by 2010.

The system has been selected to enhance the airport’s operational capabilities, increase airport safety and facilitate speedy traffic-handling operations. Integrating Eurocat(1) and Eurocat-T(2) air traffic management systems, this solution will allow Adac’s controllers to share data on aircraft positions and to operate seamless handovers between territories.

Combined with Thales’s Surface Movement Guidance Control System(3), Distance Measuring Equipment(4) and multilalteration(5) systems, the new Air Traffic Control Tower will enhance traffic safety and security with the latest state-of-the-art tools, including an unprecedented system of safeguards for approach control.

“Adac is developing Abu Dhabi International Airport into a dynamic gateway to the world with a commitment to safety and security at the heart of all our developments. Our stunning new Air Traffic Control Tower, which is an integral part of this development programme, will be one of the most sophisticated, state-of-the-art facilities in the world, thanks to the systems from Thales,” stated Ahmed Al Haddabi, Adac’s senior vice president of Airport Operations.
 
“Adac’s ambition is to transform Abu Dhabi airport into a hub airport as well as an economic zone of reference in a region which benefits from a dynamic economy without predecessor. The UAE will have an airport with a truly unique and modern infrastructure and an unrivalled level of security,” added Richard Deakin, Thales senior vice president, in charge of Air Systems activities.

Thales has supplied a total of 260 Eurocat air traffic control centres worldwide, all designed to comply with international standards and meet customers’ requirements for enhanced traffic safety and security.-TradeArabia News Service