GCAA Inks Agreement with Airbus ProSky to Restructure Airspace

UAE General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) and Airbus ProSky signed an agreement today starting the first phase of a major project: restructuring of the UAE Airspace. The agreement was signed by HE Saif Mohammed Al Suwaidi, Director General of GCAA and François Cognard, Vice President of Sales for Airbus Middle East, representing Airbus ProSky, the Airbus Air Traffic Management (ATM) Services Company. The signing took place at the Sheikh Zayed Air Navigation Center in Abu Dhabi on January 28th 2013. The study will be conducted by Airbus ProSky and deliver a comprehensive report in the summer of 2013. The Airbus ProSky team will meet with all airspace users, navigation services providers and airports of the UAE and will analyze historical data to identify enhancement to the UAE airspace.

"It is very important to seek continuous enhancement of UAE's airspace to better serve the increasing air traffic movement and to be at the forefront of air navigation services providers internationally," said HE Saif Al Suwaidi, Director General, GCAA. "We will work closely with Airbus ProSky in the next few months to understand what changes we need to bring to our airspace and ATM systems to better serve airspace users," Al Suwaidi added.

"Airbus and our subsidiary in charge of Air Traffic Management, Airbus ProSky, are very proud to work with the GCAA on this study," said François Cognard, Vice President of Middle East Sales, Airbus. "The success of the local airlines along with the global traffic going through GCAA airspace makes the UAE a strategic country in Air Traffic Management. GCAA is rightfully preparing for the future and we look forward to bringing Airbus ProSky expertise to support all UAE aviation stakeholders and the GCAA in its endeavor to safely encourage traffic growth in the region."

Ahmed Al Jallaf, Executive Director of Air Navigation Services, GCAA, commented during the signing ceremony saying: "we are pleased to announce this partnership with Airbus ProSky known for its expertise in providing solutions to improve and accelerate ATM performance and providing a comprehensive look into the future; their experience in flow management, performance based navigation, innovation and aircraft technologies make them a true partner to the GCAA for our future development."

Sheikh Zayed Air Navigation Centre (SZC), the largest and most advanced Air Traffic Management facility in the Middle East.

The UAE airspace is among the smallest and most important airspaces in the world due to the strategic location of the UAE being the link between East and West. Inaugurated in 2009, Sheikh Zayed Air Navigation Center aims at accommodating the growth in the aviation sector, soon receiving the Sheikh Khalifa Award for the best technical experience category, in recognition to the advanced technologies used at the center.

The centre today handles more than 2000 air traffic movements per day for the 8 international airports in the UAE as well as the over flying movements. The centre hosts 9 air traffic sectors and the Approach air traffic services to Al Ain International airport.