Indra positions Cape Verde at the forefront of global air traffic management

Indra has modernized the oceanic air traffic control center on Sal Island and the control towers in Santiago, Boa Vista, São Vicente and Sal with state-of-the-art technology, enabling the country’s National Airport and Air Safety Company (ASA) to manage a greater volume of traffic with safety and efficiency levels that surpass the international standards.

José Ulisses Correia e Silva, the Prime Minister of Cape Verde, opened the new facilities at a ceremony that took place on Friday July7 in the presence of Carlos Jorge Duarte Santos, the Minister of Tourism and Transport, Alcindo Hemitério da Cruz Mota, Secretary of State for Finance, Julio Lopes, President of the Chamber of Salt, Jorge Benhimol Duarte, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Aeroportos e Segurança Aérea, S.A., Ana Paredes Prieto, the Spanish Ambassador to Cape Verde, and Enrique Castillo, Indra’s ATM Sales Director.

The Indra executive declared that “this is undoubtedly a key milestone for global air navigation, given that the Sal Island oceanic control center is the final point of contact for aircraft crossing the Atlantic to America, and the renewal of its systems will have an immediate impact on the punctuality of operations at airports in America, Europe and Africa”.

The oceanic control center, like the country’s main airports, is already equipped with Indra’s ManagAir system, one of the most advanced air traffic automation solutions in existence. This is designed to reduce the controllers’ workload and facilitate interoperability with other control centers so that management becomes much more seamless and secure.

At the oceanic control center, the company has also implemented one of the most advanced voice communications systems over IP networks in existence, based on the latest version of the company’s renowned Garex solution to facilitate both ground-to-ground links between control centers and ground-to-air links with aircraft. It’s the only fully digitized solution currently available on the market, thus ensuring the highest sound quality and the ability to scale the network and expand it in the future.

ASA has also sought to reinforce the training of its controllers and technical personnel by entrusting Indra with the training of more than fifty of its professionals, who have completed an extensive preparation program lasting several months with the aim of maximizing their level of excellence. The company has also set up a control position at the Sal Island oceanic control center equipped with a simulation environment to give continuity to this training and validate any new software version before it enters service.

The contract reinforces Indra’s position as a leading provider of air traffic systems on the African continent, with projects in Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Ghana, Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda. Indra also has a close relationship with ASECNA (Agency for the Safety of Air Navigation in Africa and Madagascar) and has completed projects in 49 African countries, helping to modernize infrastructures that are key to the region’s development.

The global air traffic leader

Indra is the leading air traffic technological engineering company that is defining the way we fly and managing the skies of the future to ensure even safer, more efficient and sustainable aviation.

It has unique experience. It has deployed over 6,000 installations in more than 90% of the world’s countries and its technology can be found on the flights of over 85% of passengers during at least one phase of their trip.

The company leads some of the most advanced and demanding programs, projects and systems that are transforming the industry. For example, it’s working on the digitization of EUROCONTROL’s Integrated Network Manager, it’s the technological partner of iTEC, where it works with seven of the main European ANSPs to promote the Single European Digital Sky, and it’s become a partner for the modernization of the air infrastructures of China, India and countries in the Middle East, which are also implementing the most advanced technologies.

Indra was one of the first companies in the world to roll out 4D-trajectory air traffic management systems, digital and remote-control tower systems and solutions based on artificial intelligence, big data, digitized IP communications and 3D radars capable of withstanding the effects of wind turbines. It is anticipating the future and designing drone traffic management (UTM/U-Space), as well as satellite-based systems.