New Zealand’s air traffic controller will spend $NZ58m replacing current systems to help it cope with a projected 50 per cent growth in air traffic over the next decade.
Airways New Zealand will replace two existing systems with the Leidos Skyline X system over the next four years.
The existing air traffic management platforms, installed between 2000 and 2003 are ending their useful lives and will be replaced by the new technology in domestic airspace in 2020 and the following year in oceanic airspace. The new system will have an expected lifespan of about 15 years.
New Zealand has seen a surge in air traffic in the last two years and increased competition to the popular tourism destination has put pressure on airline profitability.
Airways NZ has promised to deliver $NZ84m in efficiencies by 2028 and the new system will help achieve that objective.
Chief operating officer Pauline Lamb said the new system would allow to implement a new operating model as well as take advantage of advanced tools such as such as medium and long term conflict alerting, time-based separation and arrival and departure management.
It would also help optimise staff deployment, she said.
“We will be working collaboratively with Leidos to develop this system in a partnership model that will deliver long term savings to our customers,’’ Lamb said in a statement. “By 2020 the new platform will allow airspace sectors to be operated from two new air traffic control centres in Auckland and Christchurch, in addition to 19 control towers nationwide.’’
Software development teams from Airways and Leidos will collaborate on the project with the air traffic manager purchasing the hardware and installing and testing the system.
Leidos Civil Group president Angie Heise said technology enhancements in the new system included the introduction of world-class flow management capabilities “ as well as an integrated approach that enables a vision for a single system to support tower, terminal, en-route and oceanic control operations."
