FREQUENTIS Technology Made Available in Record Time for Asia’s Largest and Modernised Air Traffic Control Centre (ATCC)

As the ANSP of the Hong Kong Flight Information Region, CAD provides ATC services for one of the world’s busiest airports – Hong Kong International Airport, which serves as the major aviation hub in Asia and Pacific Region, as well as the main gateway to Mainland China. CAD is making significant investments in ATM modernisation, including its new ATCC infrastructure and replacement ATC system programme. CAD and Frequentis together developed and installed one of the world’s largest and most complex Aeronautical Information Management (AIM) systems for this new ATCC, and all in record time.

CAD contracted Frequentis to supply a customised AIM system for the new ATCC under construction. Frequentis experts worked in close collaboration with CAD’s ATC engineering and operation professionals on-site in Hong Kong to analyse workflows, map out detailed system requirements, evaluate the local integration environment, and then design a needs-oriented solution.

The new AIM system is a customised version of the Frequentis smartAIM solution for CAD based on the proven European AIS Database (EAD) concept. The company also configured the smartAIM software to retain key elements of the existing CAD workflows, thereby reducing the time for training and facilitating a seamless transition from AIS to AIM.

The system was installed on schedule and within budget by close coordination between CAD and Frequentis despite various difficulties such as the enormous scale of the project, the constraints of limited site access during ATCC construction and the very tight timing demanded by the ATM modernisation project.

The AIM solution includes main and fall-back systems for maximum availability and reliability, plus a development system for training and testing purposes. It features state-of-the-art static data, NOTAM and flight plan management, internet briefing, creation/publication of the next-generation digital chart and AIP, and the capability for flight plan conversion between the ICAO legacy format and the latest “FPL 2012” format.

Its scalable and modular architecture simplifies the upgrade or extension of system functionality, and stands ready to support upcoming modernisation requirements as specified by ICAO, in particular the System-Wide Information Management (SWIM) concept and the AIM framework under the ICAO Aviation System Block Upgrades (ASBU) initiative which covers enhancement of aviation systems and services through to 2028.

Joachim Lennarz, director AIM at Frequentis, commented, 'Along with the Frequentis AIM project in the Philippines, this was the largest AIM contract the world has seen in recent years. We are proud that CAD has invested in a future-proof and scalable smartAIM solution that meets the highest quality standards. Frequentis technology, the basis for the world’s largest Aeronautical Information Services database (EAD), was the logical choice for such a complex undertaking. Our long-term experience in managing EAD enabled us to complete this challenging project in close cooperation with CAD on time and within budget.'