Aviation innovations hub is being built in Poznań

Polish Air Navigation Services Agency has received the Air Traffic Control Center in the vicinity of the Poznań-Ławica airport. This is where air traffic over Poland can be managed. It is also the first of PANSA's investments in infrastructure for the needs of the Solidarity Transportation Hub Poland (STH).

Remote Tower is a technology that allows provision of air traffic control at a given airport port from a place even several hundred kilometers away - using advanced digital means of video and audio transmission. The Poznań investment was received from the contractor on the 15th of June. Today, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Szymon Szynkowski aka Sęk, accompanied by the president of CPK company Mikołaj Wild and the president of PANSA Janusz Janiszewski, visited the new facility in the vicinity of the Poznań-Ławica Airport.

– Big investments start with smaller steps. Today, the vision of the Central Communication Port is slowly becoming a reality. The facility in Poznań is the first of PANSA's investments in infrastructure for CPK, it is also a place where technologies used at all airports in Poland and, I hope, in the world will be developed – says Deputy Minister of Infrastructure and Government Plenipotentiary for CPK Marcin Horała, who participated in the event remotely.

– Poland's position on the global aviation market is getting stronger. This is not only due to more flights and destinations, but also to the development of the entire aviation sector. I am glad that thanks to this investment Poznań is becoming a bright spot on the map of technological aviation innovations – says Szymon Szynkowski aka Sęk, Deputy Foreign Minister

The Air Traffic Control Center in Poznań is a three-level, self-sufficient, ecological complex built on the site of an old radar tower. The investment contract was signed with Hochtief Polska in May 2018. The value of the investment was PLN 91.5 million. The contract was completed in “design and build” formula within 25 months. The order included the design and construction of a new air traffic control center along with technical infrastructure, demolition of existing facilities, adaptation and modernization of the 24-meter high tower, construction of an access road and parking lot.

The complex of almost 10 thousand sq. m has two rooms of 1280 sq. m each, two twin server rooms (570 sq. m each), social facilities prepared for teams of controllers, technicians and programmers, including 50 sleep capsules. The facility is equipped with two independent power supplies from the power grid and additionally two power generators of 1.5 MW each, which could supply a medium-sized city with electricity, and is protected by UPS systems with batteries.

The facility is equipped with a gas extinguishing system for air traffic control equipment, five heat pumps with a 240 kW ground heat exchanger using 35 200m wells ensuring ecological and self-sufficient power supply, as well as a car charging station and a bicycle room.

– Exactly a year ago, together with the Poznań University of Technology and Poznań Supercomputing and Networking Center (PSNC), we started the NaviHub project. The innovation laboratory, which will be located here, will also allow for further development of the PANSA UTM drone flight coordination system – says Janusz Janiszewski, PANSA President.

The investment is part of the CPK construction plans, which will feature a conventional tower, with remote technology using the new control center in Poznań being used as an emergency solution. As part of the CPK project, 37 km west of Warsaw, in the area of approx. 3,000 hectares, Solidarność Airport will be built - closely integrated with rail and roads, which in the first stage will be able to handle up to 45 million passengers a year.

– CPK is not only a new hub for Poland and Europe, it also means infrastructure implemented in various places across the country. Since PANSA is an important part of the entire CPK project, we hope that the solution developed at the Air Traffic Control Center in Poznań will benefit not only the CPK, but also all regional airports in Poland – says Mikołaj Wild, CPK President.

The investment will be launched operationally in several stages. The whole process should be completed within two years.

A backup facility for the Air traffic Management Center in Warsaw will be built in Poznań. It will be providing air traffic control services for airports in Poland, as well as serve as a technology development center building specialist knowledge in the field of traffic control and bringing together high-class specialists in areas related to aviation and modern technologies. The competence center will also be a strategic place for collecting, integrating, processing, analyzing and distributing aviation data to all stakeholders.