Brighton City Airport Launches In-House Developed Flight Information Display System

Brighton City Airport Launches In-House Developed Flight Information Display System ‘Aerium’, with UK CAA Approval

Brighton City Airport has announced the release of its new Aerium Flight Information Display (FID) system, which gained UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) approval for use in an Air Traffic Control (Tower and Approach) environment earlier this month.

Designed and developed entirely in-house by the Airport’s own Air Traffic Control (ATC) staff, the Aerium FID is unique in being created by Air Traffic Control Officers (ATCOs) for ATCOs. A comprehensive Safety Case was developed alongside the system to ensure full compliance with all relevant regulatory standards.

Aerium integrates and displays a combination of ADS-B and multilateration (MLAT) data, collected from multiple receiver sites installed across the South East of England, including an on-aerodrome receiver system. It also displays data from FLARM and PilotAware electronic conspicuity devices. The system design has been future-proofed and made ready to incorporate UAT/TIS-B 978MHz data and ASTERIX CAT021 feeds from formal surveillance sources.

‘Designed primarily for both ATC and AFIS aerodromes seeking a cost-effective surveillance solution, Aerium offers features typically reserved for higher-end systems. These include weather radar overlays, emergency detection, custom layering functions, and a replay capability for training and incident investigation purposes. The system is fully customisable and adaptable to any aerodrome or operational environment’, says James Latham, Manager of Air Traffic Services at Brighton City Airport.

The Airport, based in Shoreham, is one of the world’s oldest, with operations dating back to 1910. The deployment of Aerium marks a significant milestone in its ATC history, as the ATS unit has previously operated without any form of surveillance system. With this new capability, ATCOs can monitor aircraft in real-time, significantly enhancing situational awareness and operational safety.

Given the Airport’s proximity to the controlled airspace of London Gatwick and Farnborough Airports, Aerium also provides an important additional safeguard to help prevent airspace infringements.