Adacel to Upgrade NAV Portugal SATL ATM System

Adacel announced today that it has been awarded a contract by NAV Portugal for a major upgrade of the System Atlantico (SATL) ATM automation system used for Oceanic, En Route, Approach and Tower control within the Santa Maria Flight Information Region.

In order to improve airspace efficiency, Air Navigation Service Providers in the North Atlantic (NAT) Region are taking steps to reduce separation minima. This upgrade contract will enable NAV Portugal to apply Performance Based Navigation (PBN) distance based separation while providing controllers with improved decision support tools. Enhancements will also be provided to the tower systems deployed at three airports in the Azores as well as improvements to workstation flexibility, which will allow for a reduction in the total number of workstations in the Santa Maria Centre.

Speaking of the award, Gary Pearson, Adacel’s CEO said “This contract continues our long and successful collaboration with NAV Portugal, which has seen the SATL system evolve into a single integrated system for oceanic, en route, approach and tower control incorporating all types of modern surveillance technologies. With this latest upgrade, NAV Portugal will continue to keep pace with changing requirements in the NAT while improving air traffic services in the Azores.”

The SATL system employs Adacel’s Aurora ATM automation software. Aurora is a global system that manages all types of airspace and is scalable and configurable to meet present and future requirements while incorporating the latest in CNS/ATM technologies. Aurora automation technology is currently in operational use in airspaces controlled by Fiji, France, Iceland, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal and the United States.