Zimbabwe Revamps Aeronautical Messaging and Information Services Infrastructure

HARARE/ZIMBABWE, May 2010 After 13 years of successful and flawless operation of their aeronautical message handling system AIDA, CAAZ decided to completely revamp their AFTN messaging infrastructure by commissioning the latest generation of COMSOFTs world market-leading product AIDA-NG. Indicating full satisfaction with COMSOFT's products and services CAAZ had selected the German supplier as a result of a competitive international call-for-tender with the confidence in the superiority of the solution. Moreover, the excellent cooperation between CAAZ and the supplier resulted in an exceptionally expeditious implementation period of less than four months. The new system makes CAAZ not only compliant to current messaging standards such as AMHS but also provides fully integrated NOTAM and OPMET briefing services.

The African air navigation service provider has taken their new systems into operation after having established national and international connections to neighbouring communication partners such as Johannesburg, South Africa. The installation of the modern AFTN/AHMS messaging solution AIDA-NG and complimentary CADAS terminals at three sites of the country is part of CAAZ's drive to stay in tune with latest developments. With the CADAS aeronautical database CAAZ has launched a state-of-the-art information infrastructure for the management of flight plans, meteorological and aeronautical information.

In the course of the project, the main centre in Harare and the two regional sites Bulawayo and Victoria Falls were interconnected via a modern IP-based infrastructure.