Air navigation service provider Airservices Australia has commissioned an Integrated Tower Automation Suite (INTAS) at Melbourne Airport, for the safe, efficient management of air traffic.
INTAS has been provided by defense and security company Saab, along with partners NAV CANADA and Harris.
The commissioning of INTAS is part of Airservices Australia’s National Towers Program (NTP) initiative to modernise or replace the core ATC technology in its towers.
INTAS was developed based on NAVCANatm technology that was customised to meet the specific needs of the NTP initiative.
It is a fully harmonised suite of ATC tools that offers Airservices controllers with a common, modern set of key ATC systems and capabilities in a single customisable platform.
NAV CANADA provided a modified version of its NAVCANsuite of ATC tools, Harris supplied the voice communications system, while Saab provided overall project management and system integration as well as integration of surface automation tools.
Saab ATM general manager Ken Kaminski said: “INTAS has successfully met Airservices’ requirements for a modern, flexible air traffic control solution that can seamlessly scale to any size airport or any controller working position.
“Providing controllers with a common set of tools helps ensure safety of operations, increases efficiency and streamlines training and maintenance.”
NAV CANADA vice-president and CTO Sid Koslow said: “The successful implementation of INTAS in Melbourne demonstrates its flexibility and capability to integrate flight data, advanced air field lighting control, and fused air and ground surveillance with safety logic in a large complex tower.”
INTAS features a controller working position with up to four touchscreen monitors to display data and common input devices.
It integrates electronic flight strips, operational data management, digital automatic terminal information services, voice communication control system, and electronic surveillance system.
Saab noted that INTAS architecture supports any tower position and is fully scalable to any size tower.
Melbourne is the fourth air traffic control (ATC) tower to receive the modern INTAS platform after Adelaide, Broome and Rockhampton airports.
