ANSL wins contract to install SimpliFID at six HIAL airports

Air Navigation Solutions Limited (ANSL) has won a contract with Highland and Islands Airports Limited (HIAL) to install its SimpliFID flight information display (FID) solution at six HIAL airports.

SimpliFID is an affordable, low-complexity Flight Information Display (FID) solution available to the air traffic control and airport market that fully aligns with the new UK FID regulation. It was launched by ANSL earlier this year, in collaboration with DataBeacon, as a highly accessible, cost-effective alternative to the implementation of a surveillance data processing system (SDPS) and radar.

The HIAL installation project will take place in two phases over the next 18 months. The first encompasses the installation of SimpliFID at Benbecula, Kirkwall and Stornoway airports, followed by the second phase involving Dundee, Islay and Wick John O’Groats airports. In addition to the SimpliFID solution itself, ANSL will also install ADS-B receiver antennas supplied by uAvionix at each airport.

ANSL will also deliver a range of other services as part of the contract including planning and management activities, testing and commissioning, the provision of safety and regulatory documentation, training, transition and regulatory approval support, and general long-term support to each airport.

Henry Game, Managing Director of ANSL, says: “We are delighted to have been awarded the contract to enhance the Flight Information and ATC procedural service operations at six of HIAL’s airports with our ground-breaking SimpliFID solution. ANSL has a longstanding relationship with HIAL which gives us a comprehensive understanding of the needs of each of their airports.

“The contract award followed a thorough tender process and is testament to ANSL’s well-demonstrated regulatory track record as an efficient and transformative air traffic management provider.”

SimpliFID utilises Automatic Dependent Surveillance–Broadcast (ADS-B) as a flexible and low-cost source of data to populate a display, offering a user-friendly interface familiar to Aerodrome Flight Information Service Officers (AFISO) and Air Traffic Control Officers (ATCO).

Giving AFISOs and ATCOs increased visibility of their airspace to inform users, SimpliFID builds on the processing capability of DataBeacon’s Victor5 platform. In addition to raw ADS-B data, SimpliFID supports standard surveillance data (in ASTERIX format) to ensure that other operational and existing data sources can also be displayed.

ANSL's proven record as an air traffic management provider, alongside DataBeacon’s technical expertise, enables seamless integration within the airport and air traffic control infrastructure, benefiting flight information service officers, air traffic controllers and airspace users from an operational perspective.