Innovative solutions for the busiest Argentinean airport: Aeroparque Jorge Newbery

Frequentis has been selected to deliver the tower air traffic control solution for the Aeroparque Jorge Newbery airport through a tender process led by ICAO. As one of two city airports in Buenos Aires, it is the busiest one in Argentina and acts as the hub of Aerolineas Argentinas. Frequentis will deliver IP-based voice and recording systems along with tower automation solutions for the newly built tower.

DGCTA (Dirección General de Control de Tránsito Aéreo) relies already on next-generation ATM solutions from Frequentis, having deployed end-to-end voice communication and recording systems and an ATM-grade network solution to manage the Argentinean airspace. A new tower has been built at Aeroparque Jorge Newbery, for which Frequentis will implement a tower ATC solution including IP-based voice communication and recording systems and the tower automation solutions smartTOOLS (information display and control) and smartSTRIPS (electronic flight strips).

With this contract the companies’ proven smartTOOLS and smartSTRIPS will be deployed for the first time in Argentina. The tower ATC solution comprises all applications needed for air traffic controllers in a tower environment. Frequentis focused on the user needs and best practices for ergonomics, inspired by air traffic controllers from all over the world. The software platform for safety-critical ATM applications will standardise general services and smartSTRIPS as an electronic flight strip system replacing the traditional paper strip with an on-screen version. It makes flight management more intuitive, easier, increases workflow efficiency and supports digital data exchange and collaborative decision making. The successful factory acceptance test already took place, only three months after signature of contract.

“Leading in the implementation of new technologies within South America, we are delighted to use these tower automation solutions in this important new air traffic control tower. This will enhance our air traffic management operation in a very efficient way and enable new functionalities”, says Brigadier José Palermo, General Director of DGCTA.

ICAO is approaching harmonised implementation of ATM modernisation through the ICAO Aviation System Block Upgrades framework. Implementing smartTOOLS and smartSTRIPS tower automation solutions supports ASBU Block 0 and Block 1 modules in the airport operations performance area.

Frequentis customers are benefitting from the company’s leadership in developing IP-based communication solutions in adherence with ED-137. This ensures safe operations and vendor independence with Voice over IP technology, defined by ICAO and EUROCAE in working group 67, where Frequentis contributes significantly by leading the radio and telephony subgroups. As the market leader in IP-based ATM communication solutions, the company is first in providing all its communication, networking and recording solutions based on ED-137.

“Air navigation service providers in more than 20 countries already experience the advantages of our tower automation solutions. To enter the Argentinean market and extend our footprint in the South American continent with our proven solutions is very important for us, especially because of our very good relationship with DGCTA. We hope to make air traffic controllers’ daily work easier in the busy Aeroparque Jorge Newbery”, noted Hannu Juurakko, Vice President ATM Civil at Frequentis.