Airservices Australia awarded Saab a contract to supply tower automation technology at four airports in Australia through 2017. The $15.5 million contract will increase to eight the number of airports in the country with the automation system.
Saab’s Integrated Tower Automation Suite (INTAS) provides controllers with electronic flight and operational information from a single platform, replacing paper-based and other computer systems. Saab will serve as prime contractor, with Nav Canada and Frequentis as suppliers, to deploy the system at the Gold Coast, Perth, Cairns and Brisbane airports. System development and production will take place in Syracuse, N.Y., and Australia.
The company previously supplied the INTAS system at Broome, Rockhampton, Adelaide and Melbourne airports in the first phase of Airservices’ National Towers Technology Program.
Airservices expects tower automation will help it manage a projected 60 percent increase in air traffic over the next 15 years. “We are in an excellent position to manage the transition to new digital tower technology and to minimize any potential disruption to operations, including through the experience gained during the first phase of this program,” said Mark Rodwell, Airservices executive general manager for projects and engineering.
The Gold Coast tower will be equipped with the INTAS by the end of this year, with its commissioning into service planned during the second quarter of 2016. The Perth, Cairns and Brisbane towers will follow in turn at six-month intervals. The system at Brisbane and Perth will be provisioned for future parallel runway operations.
