Indra systems manage air traffic in eight regions of China

Indra has successfully completed the implementation the Chengdu and Xian air control centres in China that manage the air traffic in the upper airspace of more than eight regions in the country for a total of 4.2 million square kilometres, or more than eight times the size of Spain. The company has equipped the Shuang Liu international airport, one of the most important in China, with its state-of-the-art technology for air traffic management.

Chengdu is one of Asia's largest air control centres. At this location, the Air Traffic Management Bureau South West (ATMB SW), which reports to the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), uses Indra technology to control the upper airspace of five regions in China: Yunnan, Tibet, Chongqing, Guizhou and Sichuan.

This new control centre has more than 400 air controllers who are responsible for an area of 2.3 million square kilometres. To manage this space effectively, Indra has implemented an advanced 4D trajectory flight management system (3 dimensions + time), as well as communication and route conflict prediction systems. With approximately 70 air controller positions, Chengdu manages the traffic of 17 international routes and about 30 domestic routes.

Indra has also equipped this centre with an air traffic flow management and control system (Air Traffic Flow Control and Arrival Manager, or ATFCM-AMAN) that makes it possible to efficiently sequence departures and arrivals within the network of 50 airports that operate in these five provinces.

As far as the Xian control centre, which is managed by the Air Traffic Management Bureau of North West (ATMB NW), it is responsible for controlling an area of 1.9 million square kilometres, corresponding to the regions of Shaanxi, Ningxia and Gansu.

The project to put the Xian and Chengdu centres into operation stands out because of its high technical demands and short time frame. The company's technology will allow Chinese air controllers to handle the double-digit air traffic increments that are estimated for the upcoming years.

The Director General of ATMB, Wang Liya, stated that he is “very pleased to have commissioned in record time Chengdu’s ACC. In addition, the control towers, terminals and control areas operated successfully at the same time. The Centre is a fundamental enabler of aviation growth in the corridors Europe-Asia, Western Route, Northeast China and the Southwest region. ATMB and Indra project teams working together can be proud of their achievement”

On the other hand, Indra has delivered simulators to train Chinese controllers in the same environment and with the same equipment it has implemented, along with a validation system for testing and validating any modifications to procedures, operations or software in a secure manner.

Indra in China

Aside from the aforementioned projects, Indra is installing a radar network in China that will monitor air traffic in 60% of the nation's airspace. The company maintains a competitive position in the Asia-Pacific region's ATM market. In this geographic area, it has completed important projects in Australia, where it is implementing a radar network that will cover the nation's entire east coast, and it is the company with the most weight in the navigation aid modernisation programme. It has gained a presence in Indonesia, where it is installing the radar systems that will monitor 70% of the nation's airspace. In India, the company's radar systems already control air traffic in 80% of its airspace, and 38 airports as well the Kolkata control centre will be equipped with Indra's air traffic management systems.

Indra is a leading supplier of ATM systems. The company has implemented its systems in more than 3,000 installations located in over 140 countries. In the field of R&D, it is one of the companies with the most weight in the SESAR programme, the technological pillar of the Single European Sky, and a partner of the leading navigation service providers in Europe, including AENA, NATS, DFS and Eurocontrol, among others.

Indra

Indra is the leading Spanish multinational consulting and technology firm and one of the main players in Europe and Latin America. Innovation is the cornerstone of its business and sustainability. The company has allocated more than €550 million to R&D&i in the last three years, making it one of the top companies in Europe in its sector in terms of investment. With sales approaching €3,000 million, nearly 60% of its income is from the international market. The company employs 42,000 professionals and has customers in 128 countries.

(More information in press office).