COMSOFT Boosts Aeronautical Messaging and Information Services Infrastructure in Bosnia and Herzegovina

The Federate Directorate of Civil Aviation (FEDCAD) have fundamentally upgraded their existing AFTN infrastructure. The new system consists of COMSOFTs renowned, market leading AFTN/AMHS switching solution AIDA-NG, and CADAS, offering AIS database services and user-friendly terminals for NOTAM and integrated briefing, as well as flight plan management. Moreover, the system includes a converter for the automated transformation of flight plans, which will be indispensable for the transition to the new flight plan format FPL 2012 in order to help secure the compatibility of existing flight plan processing systems.

Furthermore, the system comprises a gateway for the conversion of conventional OLDI messages into the modern IP-based FMTP protocol which enables OLDI end systems to connect to the Pan European Network Service (PENS). These two gateways facilitate the gradual adjustment of existing end systems to the emerging regulations, thus crucially saving high costs for the procurement of new end systems.

One of the major benefits of the new system in terms of safety is that the central components in Sarajevo have been identically replicated as a contingency system in Mostar. In case of a catastrophic event, the advanced contingency concept developed by the German ATC expert brings FEDCAD in the comfortable position to switch the operational communication services from the main to the contingency site within only a few minutes; without any loss of data or significant interruption of service.

While the system is currently still connected with other ANSPs via AFTN, AMHS interoperability tests are already scheduled with Vienna.