Oman’s air traffic control centre is most advanced in Middle East
The new Air Traffic Control Centre, brought into operation at Muscat International Airport, is the largest and most advanced in the Arabian region, according to Indra, the Spanish technological giant that played a key role in the development of the facility.
In a statement issued over the weekend, the Madridbased firm said the new control centre enables the Sultanate’s Public Authority for Civil Aviation (PACA) to manage all flights traversing Oman’s airspace by leveraging Indra’s latest generation systems installed at the facility.
“The centre will provide a capability for managing over twice the number of flights a year, and among other objectives, will support the Sultanate’s plan to become a landmark tourist destination in the region. The precision offered by Indra’s technology for planning aviation operations improves safety and punctuality and reduces costs. This will reinforce the attractiveness of the country’s airport for use as an operations base or a major airline hub, thus generating more revenues,” said Indra in its statement.
The high-tech hub is the centrepiece of an estimated $90 million contract awarded by the Omani government for the comprehensive modernisation of the Sultanate’s air traffic control system. As part of the contract package, Indra upgraded the control centres, as well as the control towers, at Muscat and Salalah international airports. Similar upgrades are also envisaged at Sohar, Ras al Hadd and Duqm, where new regional airports are currently in various stages of development.
The statement quoted PACA Chief Executive Officer Mohammed bin Nasser al Zaabi as stating that the modernised hub gives air traffic controllers the ability to handle an estimated 1,500 flights per day — a figure that could increase at the rate of 11 per cent annually.
“Oman’s geographic location makes it an area of transit for many flights with destination or origin in other countries in the area and in Asia, so it is required to manage a very high volume of en-route traffic,” said Indra.
“The project demanded the highest technical standards, and required implementing systems for automating traffic management, communications, aeronautic messaging, a weather information system and the implementation of aircraft guidance systems in the main airports. All this technology has transformed Oman into a reference in the region and places it on a par with the leading countries in the world,” the company added.
Indra is a world leader in the development of comprehensive technological solutions in fields such as Defence & Security, Transport & Traffic, Energy & Industry, Telecommunications & Media, Financial Services and Public Administrations & Healthcare. The company is also currently undertaking, among other projects, the wholesale modernisation of Kuwait’s air traffic management systems, and the implementation of the systems for managing the high-speed train line that will link Medina and Mecca.