Page 55 - AA 2018_11

DIGITAL TOWERS

traffic control towers at Karratha Today there are few alternatives to not adequate to provide an air traffic A digital tower is due be
and Broome in Western Australia reducing operational costs at regional control service at the time. operational at Auckland Airport
following a boom in fly-in/fly-out airports with low traffic numbers Angus said that the reliability of in 2020. airways nz
mine charter traffic. other than by reducing the span of the data network has since improved
Conservative estimates suggest control tower operating hours or significantly and widespread use of
it takes at least 18 months to closing a service. There are also issues DAS around the world has delivered
commission and staff a new control around the capacity of control at a resolution of many of the allied
tower at an existing airport. some locations to be self-sustaining technical issues.
Both WA sites subsequently given the need for staff leave, Globally, the introduction of digital
proved to be examples of services at sick-leave provision, training and tower technology is progressing at
the mercy of economic fluctuation administration. speed.
with a reduction in traffic linked to a Airservices believes digital tower Initially the technology was
sharp decline in the resources sector. technology can overcome these developed to provide effective services
at remote, low-density locations,
According to Angus, in this scenario problems by providing centralised principally in Scandinavia. In Sweden, ‘The
digital towers would have allowed for services to a number of locations,
for example, the air navigation service
a quick scale-back of service with less thus resulting in efficiencies by more provider (ANSP), LFV, was faced with introduction
disruption. effective allocation of resources to
having to replace a large number of
The provision of digital tower meet traffic pattern variations between control towers built during the 1970s, of digital
services for regional and remote airports over the course of a 24-hour
airports from a central location would period. against the backdrop of a need to tower
also negate the need to relocate staff. A trial of digital tower technology provide services at all airports with
“The agility to quickly scale up and at Alice Springs in 2012 saw imagery regular passenger transport (RPT) technology is
down the level of service provided at transmitted to Adelaide. Angus operations.
some airports enables quite a different accepts that lessons emerged from the Many of these airports were progressing
form of air traffic management to be trial around capacity and reliability of recording low traffic numbers with
provided around Australia,” Angus the network linking the two locations. long intervals between aircraft at speed.’
said. Put simply, network capability was movements.
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