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WRITTEN QUESTION THE MINISTER FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT BY DEPUTY M.R. HIGGINS OF ST. HELIER
ANSWER TO BE TABLED ON MONDAY 18th JULY 2011
Question
Will the Minister -
- state whether a number of Senior Air Traffic Officers were tasked by the management of Jersey Airport to conduct a review of the available electronic flight process systems available and in use in airports around the world and whether they produced a report setting out the systems that should be purchased for the new air traffic control facility at Jersey airport and, if so, explain the reasons why the management of Jersey Airport rejected their recommendations and chose to purchase an alternative system;
- state which airports in the world are using the system purchased by Jersey Airport; and set out what success or failure, or problems, that these other users have experienced with this system?
Answer
- Yes a number of air traffic control staff were tasked with developing specifications for some system requirements in the lead up to the start of the project in 2007. The outcomes of this work contributed to some elements of the final system specifications that Jersey Airport ordered through NATS, acting as the integrator for the project.
- The system was initially developed, installed and tested in Braunschweig (Germany) and Prague Airports. It was further developed for Jersey in accordance with the specification of the airport and NATS and is the first fully integrated system in operational service.
Similar electronic systems have been installed in various airports throughout the UK and Europe. The first in the UK, manufactured by NAV Canada, was Stansted tower in 2004. All five major airports in the London area now use this system. NATS also introduced the same system in the radar operation at Edinburgh airport in March 2010. This was extended to the operations at Aberdeen and Glasgow during the same year.
There is no other direct comparison that can be made. The fully integrated system follows the direction of all new European operators and has helped to secure the vital revenue which is derived from providing the Channel Islands Control Zone service on behalf of the French and UK governments.
Many other Air Navigation Service Providers are now recognising that electronic flight data equipment will replace the paper equivalent. As an example of this, Jersey has already hosted visits from representatives of Manchester and Birmingham airports who are in the process of purchasing similar equipment.