ATP First in Gulf to Install ADS-B Air Traffic Control System

ATP partnered with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Surveillance and Broadcast Services Office, Helicopter Association International (HAI), Gulf helicopter operators, and other offshore oil and gas companies to implement this new technology. ADS-B uses precise location data from the global satellite network to provide real-time, radar-like traffic information directly to ADS-B equipped aircraft, then transmitted to shore to the FAA and to air traffic controllers and other aircraft. In addition, the system will provide helicopter operators in the Gulf immediate access to updated weather information and other flight information services. The system on the ATP Innovator platform will be part of a larger network of systems which are set to go operational in December 2009. The safety and security of our offshore industry personnel is of utmost priority, stated T. Paul Bulmahn, Chairman and CEO of ATP. Helicopters serving oil and gas installations conduct as many as 7,500 trips each day to offshore platforms over a 500 mile-wide area along the Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi coastlines, extending 250 miles out into the Gulf. They carry an estimated 2.6 million passengers per year. ATP is proud to be a partner in this significant enhancement to aviation safety.