Eurocontrol Ties In With COMSOFT's ECG Technology

The EUROCONTROL-operated Maastricht Upper Area Control Centre (MUAC) has taken into service their new ECG system, which acts as an aeronautical messaging front end processor to connect their flight data processing systems to the AFTN/AMHS network. Replacing its predecessor DCFEP after 16 years of smooth and reliable operation had become inevitable in order to support the future transition from CIDIN/AFTN to AMHS. DCFEP was the first of its kind to be taken into operation and attests COMSOFT's long experience in the field of demanding projects.

Like DCFEP, the new ECG for MUAC is based on COMSOFT's market-leading AIDA product family. It directly benefits from COMSOFT's contributions to EUROCONTROL's ambitious and pioneering ECG project for the pan-European development of an Aeronautical Message Handling System with utmost proven standard conformance and interoperability. By reselecting COMSOFT as supplier for their new messaging solution EUROCONTROL endorsed the quality products of the German ATC specialist.

Operated by four EUROCONTROL member states, MUAC provides air traffic control services in the upper airspace - above 7,500 meters or 24,500 feet - of Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and north-west Germany. As a consequence of MUACs significance and strict safety rules the execution of the whole ECG project strictly followed the EUROCONTROL Safety Regulatory Requirements for Software in ATM Systems on the advanced Software Assurance Level 3 (SWAL-3).

MUAC applied the highest level of requirements and standards to this project. Furthermore, the close and vivid cooperation with the involved staff in Maastricht was of crucial significance and considerably contributed to the success of this project, particularly during the intense testing periods.