Bahrain to upgrade ATC communications with FREQUENTIS

Bahrain MTT Civil Aviation Affairs (CAA) announced that it has awarded Frequentis the contract to modernise the Bahrain International Airport voice communication infrastructure. The Area Control Centre (ACC) and airport towers at Bahrain International Airport will be equipped with the latest Frequentis VCS3020X, replacing the existing Frequentis system, which has been in use by MTT for over 15 years.

Bahrain International Airport is the Gulfs oldest airport and the nation’s gateway, managing over 100,000 flight movements per year, supporting over eight million passengers. The airport is currently undergoing an expansion that will increase its passenger capacity to 14 million with the opening of the new passenger terminal scheduled for 2020. Bahrain airspace, which stretches from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to Kuwait, also sees MCT CAA deal with over 600,000 overflights per year. The anticipated air traffic growth in the region requires BCAA to have a high performing, reliable and future-proof ATC communication system.

Frequentis has a long-standing history in Bahrain having completed similar projects with the CAA in and multiple voice communications and recording systems for other Bahrain entities.  The new system, which is scheduled to be delivered in early 2020, will be configured for 34 positions, supporting operations at the ACC, simulation room, main tower and emergency tower. 

“Frequentis is proud to be providing Bahrain MTT CAA with the latest voice communications technology and that CAA has entrusted us with the modernisation of its voice communication system and we look forward to continuing our successful long-term partnership,” said Hannu Juurakko, Vice President ATM Civil at Frequentis.

As a field proven compact and fully duplicated end-to-end IP VCS, the VCS3020X system provides flexible integration of the existing analogue and digital radio infrastructure. The CAA will be able to manage all communications with the shortest air-ground delay, while providing the best voice quality. The fully redundant solution also comprises a multitude of interfaces to external systems. It is ready for future IP radio and telephone connectivity and complies to the ED-137B EUROCAE (European Organisation for Civil Aviation Equipment) standard.

VCS3020X is the leading end-to-end IP communication solution for Air Traffic Management globally. Its robust and proven architecture brings unrivalled scalability and functionality, and its wide array of workload sharing, and networking capabilities makes it a critical element for any successful implementation of dynamic sectorisation, or virtual air traffic control.

The VCS3020X will bring CAA the best performing air traffic control voice communication solution, together with rapid deployment and the lowest total cost of ownership.