TMCnet News
'Eurocontrol selects Sita for aircraft data links comms'(DMeurope Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) The European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation Eurocontrol has selected air transport services specialist Sita to provide aircraft data link communications services for its Maastricht Upper Area Control Centre. Sita's selection follows the recent adoption of the European Commission regulation that mandates data link communications for air traffic control across the EU in a move designed to boost air traffic control capacity as voice channel communications become congested. The Maastricht Upper Area Control Centre delivers air navigation services for the upper airspace of Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands and North West Germany. This will be the first geographic zone to benefit from the mandated implementation of Controller-Pilot Data Link Communications (CPDLC) in European airspace. The Sita data link communications service will enable the exchange of CPDLC messages over a VHF Digital Link Mode 2 infrastructure between the MUACC air traffic controllers and suitably equipped aircraft within its airspace. The major benefit will be a significant increase in air traffic controllers' capacity to handle aircraft and therefore increased overall airspace capacity with a reduction in flight delays. It is conservatively estimated that implementation of data link across the entire European Air Traffic Management network will result in operational savings of EUR 200 million per annum. Sita has partnered with the German Air Navigation Service Provider, DFS, to deliver a data link communications service to MUACC that integrates the VHF Digital Link Mode 2 infrastructures of the DFS and Sita, Sita's aeronautical telecommunications network routing infrastructure and customer support service. (Distributed for DMeurope.com via M2 Communications Ltd (www.m2.com)) Copyright ? 2009 M2 Communications Ltd. |