ACR Aviation Capacity Resources to provide Air Traffic Services at Säve Airport in Gothenburg.

The privately held Swedish air navigation service provider ACR Aviation Capacity Resources has signed an agreement to operate air traffic control services at Säve Airport in Gothenburg, Sweden, from January 1st, 2018. Opening hours make this contract one of the largest so far for ACR. The operation is special as it primarily concerns service to socially important Swedish society functions - so-called 112-operations - such as air ambulance, police flights and the Swedish Maritime Administration’s flight operations for maritime and aeronautical search and rescue services.

ACR, which is Europe’s first and only privately held operator within air navigation services, currently manages air navigation service provisions at 14 Swedish airports, the largest being Stockholm-Skavsta and Stockholm-Västerås. In the long term, the goal is to establish ACR as a leading player in the European market. The Säve Airport assignment means that ACR will manage air navigation services at 15 of the 20 Swedish airports that are able to chosen to procure air traffic control service in competitive tendering.

The construction and real estate group Serneke is operating Säve Airport since the company took over the operation and ownership from state-owned Swedavia February 1st this year. Serneke has ambitious that will turn the airport into a living area that attracts the public, businesses and other operations. Air traffic will remain, but Serneke will in addition create a centre for vehicle development with test courses, laboratory, sales and car testing combined with an experience centre.

Säve Airport plays a vital and socially important role for The Region of Västra Götaland. Therefore, a well-functioning air navigation service is crucial. The new owner has the ambition to strengthen and preserve the socially important functions such as Swedish Air Ambulance, police flights and the Swedish Maritime Administration’s flight operations as well as general aviation traffic.

“It is incredibly exciting for us at ACR to develop our service at Säve Airport together with one of Sweden’s most interesting construction companies. There is a great deal of trust as the mission is primarily about air traffic services for socially important functions”, says ACR’s CEO Wilhelm Wohlfahrt.

ACR’s assignment for Serneke runs for four years through 2021 with an option of renewal. The operation is one of ACR’s most comprehensive to date with crew of the tower between 8 am and 10 pm, seven days a week.

“We will now recruit a number of operational controllers. Together, they are given the responsibility to rebuild the important air traffic control service at Säve and staff the control tower that has been closed since the turn of the year”, says Mr Wohlfahrt.

ACR is a game changer in the air navigation service industry, combining effective administration in combination with innovation. The success is based on lies in providing more cost-effective air navigation services with a strong customer focus, higher quality and sustained safety. ACR has grown rapidly and generated sales of SEK 138 million in 2016, with good profitability.