Raytheon’s next generation air traffic management system, AutoTrac
III (AT3), is now operational at three Indian airports run by Airports
Authority of India - Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai - covering three of
the four Indian Flight Information Regions (FIRs). These installations are an
important milestone in AAI’s plans for the modernisation of India’s airspace
in order to accommodate projected levels of growth in the region’s air traffic.
Recently Airports Authority of India won the prestigious Jane’s Award
for achieving the best operational efficiency through its upper airspace harmonisation
programme for the Chennai FIR. The award was presented to
AAI’s V. Somasundaram, Member (ANS), at a ceremony conducted at the ATC
Global Conference in Amsterdam on the March 5, 2012, in the presence of
chief executive officers and top executives from the world’s leading technology
companies and Air Navigation Service Providers.
The challenging goal of providing upper airspace harmonisation in the
Chennai FIR was enabled by the installation of Raytheon’s Next Generation
ATM Automation system, AutoTrac III. AutoTrac III’s Advanced Signal and Flight
Data Processing Systems allowed for the seamless integration of 5 dynamic
air space sectors, 10 radars, and the implementation of ATS Inter-facility Data
Communication (AIDC). This new highly integrated system approach is providing
a dramatic improvement in the operational efficiency of the Indian air
space system. The restructuring of air space in Chennai FIR alone would result
in fuel savings of 22.3 million litres per annum to the operators, on a conservative
estimate, apart from substantial reduction in carbon emission.
“Raytheon is very proud to be part of this important initiative for India
and we congratulate Airports Authority of India on this distinguished and
most deserved honor,” said Steve duMont, Managing Director of Raytheon’s
ATM business, “AAI is truly a world leader in air space modernisation, and
Raytheon is committed to our continuing close partnership with them on this
transformational endeavor.”
The AutoTrac III system is an advanced, cost-effective solution to the
challenges facing the ATM community in the 21st century - traffic growth
outpacing revenue growth and the drive to increase capacity and productivity
in a cost conscious environment. The AT3 system, with its modern open
architecture design and high performance characteristics, is fully adaptable
and scalable to any ATM environment, ranging from a simple tower automation
application to a fully integrated national multi-centre system.
