Saab is Streamlining Australia's Busiest Airports

Saab has received an order to install Aerobahn, a collaborative decision making platform, at Australia’s four major airports to improve operating efficiencies.

Australia's air navigation services provider, Airservices Australia, identified Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney as priority airports to adopt the new system.

“The system is operating in some of America’s busiest airports including New York’s JFK and LaGuardia, Chicago, Detroit, Houston and Minneapolis to name a few. In Australia, we anticipate it will save the industry an estimated $52 million over the next decade. Taxiing aircraft, and arrival and departure gates can be better managed, reducing delays. Modelling using A-CDM indicates taxi-times can be reduced by around 7 per cent, or one minute per aircraft in peak busy periods which adds up to big savings very quickly”, says Jason Harfield, CEO of Airservices Australia. 

Aerobahn provides a range of services such as departure management sequencing, traffic flow management and resourcing. The system streamlines the data sharing between all agencies allowing more collaborative decisions, which minimises delays and improves performance during irregular operations. It also improves schedule efficiencies, taxiways, runway and stand use and reduces fuel consumption and related emissions.

“Saab and Airservices Australia have enjoyed a strong partnership implementing air traffic control technologies in Australia. By employing Aerobahn’s ability to share critical operational information in real-time among key airport stakeholders, Australia’s four busiest airports will benefit from a host of metrics that will help target other areas to improve efficiency”, says Jessica Öberg, head of Saab business area Industrial Products and Services

The Aerobahn Milestone Manager supports dynamic configurable alerts defined by Eurocontrol, Europe’s air traffic management authority as well as local alerts which will be defined by Airservices Australia stakeholders.

The system was developed by US-based Saab Air Traffic Management who introduced digitised the air traffic control towers in Broome, Rockhampton, Adelaide, Melbourne, Gold Coast, Perth, Cairns and Brisbane airports.

Saab’s air traffic management expertise spans airport operations, surveillance sensors, air traffic control, automation, collaborative decision-making, and digital traffic management towers. Our solutions are trusted by air navigation service providers, airports and airlines at over 100 locations in more than 45 countries. As a global leading partner and provider of proven air traffic management solutions and services, we transform operations by turning innovative ideas into reality, from concept through to long-term support.