Thales demonstrates how forging strong local networks in Asia spells is the right business model

2012 marked a crucial period for Thales’s Air Traffic Management in Australasia with an overwhelming presence across Eastern Asia, systems covering more than 50% of the region, and continuing strength across Asia Pacific and Australia.

Forging strong relationships that stand the test of time is at the heart of the group’s strategy in Asia, which is why key partnerships and a significant presence on the ground in advanced and complex jurisdictions is the basis through which the group does business.

Partnerships such as in Singapore, where Thales has long had a major support centre and where the group now manages over 305,000 traffic movements every year in one of the most densely packed single ATM networks in the world. Close by, in Thailand and Vietnam, Thales manages the air traffic control for Bangkok and Ho Chi Min City Airports, both major hubs, as well as supplying a number of radars and navaids. Further afield, Thales is the most important player in Australia, where the group manages the entirety of the region’s ATM network. Most notably, Thales has successfully implemented the world’s first ADS-B system in Australia, as well as developed the breakthrough technology used in Singapore’s LORADS III system at the company’s ATM centre of excellence in Melbourne – the result of long-term investment and commitment to innovation.

China represents the quintessential proof of the success of developing strong local partnerships. Beijing EasySky Technology Ltd., a joint venture between Thales and the Civil Aviation Air Traffic Control Technology & Equipment Development Co. Ltd., now produces all ATM systems for the Western route Radar project, as well as the Lanzhou air traffic control system. These received official acceptance from the Civil Aviation Administration of China in November 2012. With this partnership, Thales now delivers over 60% of all ATC systems in China. These cross-national operations across Australia, Singapore and China illustrate the robustness of the group’s market position in the region.

The group is also employing its considerable talents in innovative ATM solutions for large regional networks across the South Pacific. Thales’s systems in Tahiti make its ATM system the first in the Asia Pacific region to receive European standard regulatory approval, whilst in Taiwan, Thales recently installed one of the most sophisticated TopSky-ATC turnkey solutions ever deployed.

Lionnel Wonneberger, Thales Director of Strategy for ATM, said: “By 2030, 4.5 billion passengers will crisscross the Asia Pacific skies – this hemisphere is the future of civilian air travel. These staggering numbers point to only one solution: the market needs the solid expertise, tried and tested methodologies and innovative approaches of providers who have demonstrated their mettle across the world’s most densely packed and challenging networks. Customers in these markets are also extremely savvy and demanding, which is why it is an honour to be entrusted with the safety of the skies here in Asia. We will repay this trust with continued excellence of service, so our customers can meet the requirements of their numerous and varied stakeholders.”