SWEDEN offered the Department of Transportation (Dotr) a remote air traffic control (ATC) system that promises to be more efficient, employs less personnel, and still be able to manage several airports from a distant location.
“We have long experience in high technology when it comes to surveillance system for civilian use. We understand from our communication with Dotr that they are interested to have this in the Philippines,” Swedish Ambassador designate Harad Fries said.
He added: “We do radar, as well as remote air-traffic control. You do not have to build an actual air-traffic control tower. You can have control in a remote place.”
Fries said Minister of Enterprise and Innovation Mikael Damberg gave a courtesy call to the DOTr to offer their expertise on vehicles, power and automation, construction and mining equipment, radar and surveillance system, and information communications technology solutions.
Saab Head of Market Area Asia Pacific Dan-Ake Enstedt said their products, used across 100 airports in Europe, the United States and Asia. He explained that SAAB is an expert when it comes to providing unmanned ATC in small airports.
“There’s always the prospect of aircraft collision due to congestions but we have built a system to avoid this accident on the ground. You have a big need [for remote ATC] in the Philippines, because you have 7,100 islands, and they need to be working well. This is critical for your economy,” Enstedt said.
For his part, Fries said: “Swedish companies have a long experience, for instance, in air surveillance. You have 7,000 islands so it would be very important for you to keep track of your airplanes but also in the maritime sector. We also have maritime surveillance systems that could be of great interest in the Philippines.”
Enstedt said they have sensors and sensitive electronic built around an airport monitored by an air-traffic controller in a remote location that manages several airports. He said Sweden is the first country in the world to use the remote ATC.
“Our system can connect to all different system. We can integrate,” he said, while mentioning all the countries where their system is being used.
Enstedt said the system will not, in any way, lead to lay-offs of airport personnel.
“No. I will not say that. What is important is that the airport is open, especially in the Philippines, where you have many airports, because you are made of many islands. I think it will create another job if you have an open airport instead of a closed airport,” he said.
Saab is a world-leading provider of products, services and solutions for military and civil security use. The company will open an office in the Philippines. It has operations in nine other countries in the region. Saab’s system allows controllers to manually maneuver or zoom cameras to take a closer look at the runways or the airplanes.
Capa—Centre for Aviation, the globally recognized provider of industry research and analysis, projects that redevelopment and building of new airports will surpass the $900-billion mark.
Sweden recently reopened its embassy in the country after an absence of eight years.
Image credits: Saab web site