Indra and Microsoft take iTEC to the cloud and open a new era in world air traffic management

Indra, one of the world’s leading technology and consulting companies, is working with Microsoft to take the iTEC new-generation air traffic management system to the cloud to facilitate the development and validation of new functionalities, remotely train air traffic controllers and have a backup system to bolster air safety. 

iTEC is a system that processes air traffic data and defines aircraft routes with unprecedented precision. Indra’s strategy of taking it to the cloud enables great strides in the construction of the Digital European Sky, which means that, for the first time in the history of aviation, control centers can be connected via the cloud and access this information for testing purposes, simulations or training exercises.

The company has deployed its iTEC system, along with a training simulator, on an Azure public cloud infrastructure to move in this direction.

This infrastructure has already enabled Indra engineers to work dynamically, rapidly and flexibly to develop and verify system improvements from various work centers. 

This technology will also allow the company to assess and validate the new functionalities it has developed for iTEC with its European clients without having to factor in travel or costly installations in air traffic control centers.

The roadmap Indra is following to introduce this new technology includes the creation of contingency centers, which will be used as back-up so a country’s air traffic control centers can be connected when needed, thus adding another layer of air safety.

Deploying iTEC on the cloud also furthers the training and preparation of air traffic controllers, who can be remotely connected to simulators to do training exercises anytime and anywhere.

Indra is taking a gradual approach in this process of migrating iTEC to the cloud, studying all the possibilities and benefits the cloud has to offer. It will be taking on client deployments on an ever greater scale in order to carry out more complex training exercises or validations. The implementation of iTEC on the cloud has come on the heels of the company’s successful completion of the first migration phase of the Indra Air Automation system to the Microsoft Azure public cloud platform. 

Indra is a leading company in the introduction of state-of-the-art technologies and the digital transformation in the field of air traffic. It was one of the world’s first companies to commission remote virtual control towers and develop solutions based on artificial intelligence, big data, system virtualization, fully digitalized IP communications and 3D radar built to support wind turbine interference.

About iTEC

iTEC (interoperability Through European Collaboration) is a next-generation air traffic management system developed by Indra in collaboration with air navigation service providers in Spain (ENAIRE), the UK (NATS), Germany (DFS), the Netherlands (LVNL), Norway (AVINOR), Poland (PANSA), and Lithuania (ORO NAVIGACIJA). It is currently deployed in the control centers of Karlsruhe, Germany and Preswick, Scotland. iTEC will be managing a third of the continent’s air traffic and this will mean significant savings in flight time, fuel and running costs.

About Indra

Indra (www.indracompany.com) is one of the leading global technology and consulting companies and the technological partner for core business operations of its customers world-wide. It is a world-leader in providing proprietary solutions in specific segments in Transport and Defense markets, and a leading firm in Digital Transformation Consultancy and Information Technologies in Spain and Latin America through its affiliate Minsait Its business model is based on a comprehensive range of proprietary products, with a high-value focus and with a high innovation component. In the 2019 financial year, Indra achieved revenue of €3,204 billion, with more than 49,000 employees, a local presence in 46 countries and business operations in over 140 countries.