Airservices Australia today announced it has reached two major milestones in OneSKY, the world-leading program being undertaken jointly with the Department of Defence.
Air Traffic Management (ATM) service facilities in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth have switched over to the Civil Military ATM (CMATS) voice communication system. Brisbane’s air traffic service centre will follow suit in early 2019.
Voice communications are a cornerstone of any ATM system, allowing air traffic controllers and pilots to talk to each other.
"The new CMATS voice communications system enables greater efficiency of our air traffic resources, enhances safety outcomes and minimises service disruptions," according to Airservices Chief Executive Officer Jason Harfield.
"These benefits will be experienced by all users of Australian airspace, from the major airlines and their passengers right through to the smallest ultralight aircraft."
The Airservices and Defence project team worked with operational staff and industry partners, Thales Australia and Frequentis, to ensure a seamless transition to the CMATS voice communication system in the first three locations.
"Achieving this milestone on schedule and with no disruption to existing services is an exceptional demonstration of how civil and military air traffic operations will work together," Mr Harfield said.
Airservices and Thales have also just completed the system definition review for CMATS, the technical platform that will unite Australia’s civil and military air traffic control systems. The project now moves into the detailed design phase.
"We are proud to deliver these key milestones in the OneSKY program just nine months after signing contracts with our military and industry partners," said Mr Harfield.
About OneSKY
OneSKY is a world-leading program to align the needs of civil and military aviation, while catering for the forecast growth in the aviation sector.
Over the coming years, advanced air traffic management technology will be introduced in stages to unlock more than a billion dollars of economic benefits for Australia.
