Final air traffic-system talks

Press, 16 June 1988, Page 7

Final air traffic-system talks

Final talks with a French company to supply equipment for the $7O million modernisation of New Zealand’s air traffic control system are about to start.

The Airways Corporation has announced that Thomson-CSF is the preferred tenderer, on a short-list of three.

The other companies are Selenia, of Italy, and Plessey-Cossor, of Britain, which has a link with the Wellington-based company, Marine Air Systems.

The contract will probably be signed next month, signalling the start of a re-equipment programme that will bring a new control centre at

Christchurch and an increase of up to 60 in the air traffic-control staff working there. Primary radar at international airports will be replaced, and secondary surveil-

lance radar will be installed for the first time in New Zealand to give the position, destination and identity of high-flying

aircraft. New flight data-process-ing and computerised-dis-play systems at Auckland, Ohakea and Christchurch will be installed.

The project also involves new communications equipment TUS advanced technology will allow the Christ-

church centre to provide centre and approach services for Wellington, a feature the corporation says will bring “substantial savings.” The corporation announced the plans in August, and since then there has been keen international interest in supplying the system. “The proposal from Thomson-CSF stands out as the best-suited to our requirements, and the best for the aviation industry we serve,” said the corporation’s chairman, Mr Carl Ryan. “In fact, any one of the three short-list tenderers could give us a acceptable proposition. 'r< “Tender prices for the

programme have been very keen and it appears ' the final cost will be under out budgeted $71.4 million,” Mr Ryan said. He said Thomson-CSF was a leading supplier of air traffic-control equipment and systems internationally, and had recently commissiioned a similar system in Denmark. It was now installing a system in Belgium, and had systems in many countries, including Kenya, Pakistan and Indonesia. The corporation says the new system, due to begin operation by April, 1991, will increase air traffic-control and will provide for ex-

pansion to meet New Zea- ' land’s needs well into the next century. The corporation inherited the project when it took over from the Civil Aviation Division of the Ministry of Transport last year. The Minister for StateOwned Enterprises, Mr Prebble, yesterday congratulated the corporation on its progress, which, he said "highlights the success of the corporatisation process.” “The businesslike approach of the Airways Corporation has resulted, in less than 15 months, in a decision on a system that will be brought in at of the cosffand in half the time,” he said.