Future of air traffic management in Australia secured

Thales Australia has been chosen to commence work with Airservices Australia and the Royal Australian Air Force on the development of a single civil-military air traffic management system.

The OneSKY system will enable a new level of operational and cost efficiency and safety, while reducing delays for the travelling public and improving environmental outcomes.

It will ensure Australia will have the most advanced and integrated air traffic control system in the world.

The new system will unify Australian skies under a harmonised air traffic management system as both agencies work towards creating ‘one sky’ for Australia.

Airservices Chief Executive Officer Margaret Staib, said that the current system in use by civilian air traffic controllers has had more than 200 incremental system changes since it was first commissioned in 1998.

“It is now time to look to the next 20 years and seize this once-in-a-generation opportunity to replace the ageing systems used by Airservices and RAAF controllers with a single, national solution,” Ms Staib said.

“This will allow us to provide operational efficiency improvements for future growth and ensure we are meeting the demands of our customers and delivering them value for money.

“Importantly, it will also deliver a range of benefits to our customers, stakeholders and ultimately to the travelling public.”

Together, the civil and military elements of the future air traffic management system will support more than 200 operational air traffic control workstations deployed to multiple locations across Australia.

OneSKY will allow a greater ability to share comprehensive and common flight data and information. The move to a single flight information region will also assist in removing many of the constraints that apply to flight planning today, delivering efficiency through greater use of flexible airspace and user preferred routes.