IN THE wake of multi-billion-dollar airport expansions, countries in the Middle East have been grappling with mitigating airspace bottlenecks and looking towards technology to keep the growth clear of crowded skies.
The accelerating growth in aircraft movements in the region adds to the mounting problem. According to International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), International Air Transport Association (Iata) and Airports Council International (ACI) the region is witnessing a rapid aviation growth far above the global average rate. The UAE’s airports, for instance, are projected to have 1.62 million aircraft movements by 2030, while the region will witness 2.3 million aircraft movements in 2025. The ICAO predicts a 5.2 per cent annual growth in regional air traffic by 2030.
Middle East carriers are set to spend a whopping $450 billion on 2,520 aircraft by 2030, taking the number of passenger aircraft from 1,060 to 2,710, an incredible increase of 160 per cent. Emirates airline alone is aiming at 70 million passengers in 2020.
Officials say the airspace will come under enhanced pressure with Dubai getting the rights to host the Expo 2020, where about three-fourths of visitors are expected to attend from outside the UAE.
Saif Mohammed Al Suwaidi, Director General of UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), remarks: “To improve the air traffic management (ATM) system, many areas have to be collaboratively improved such as airport design and operations. We are working to improve ATM efficiency through an airspace enhancement and restructuring programme.”
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Crowded skies… challenge for navigation |
According to the ICAO, the investment in developing new facilities and expanding existing airports to meet the demands of the region’s fast-growing airlines has resulted in airspace capacity becoming an emerging issue as current constraints force inefficient routings. As airspace becomes more of a scarce resource, states need to take a ‘balanced’ approach to airspace management and the need to accelerate implementation of Flexible Use of Airspace.
Ibrahim Ahli, director of Dubai Air Navigation Services (DANS), says: “The importance of managing the UAE airspace efficiently is obvious but the importance of harmonisation with adjacent – and beyond – states is imperative. Without cooperation from these states, our growth will be hampered, and severe departures- as well as arrivals delays are inevitable.”
The ICAO says the airspace to the northern part of Bahrain Flight Information Region (FIR) continued to be the busiest and most complex airspace in the Middle East. There are also delays and bottlenecks in the UAE’s FIR due to heavy air traffic.
The UAE airspace system currently handles about 600,000 movements a year. By 2025 it needs to accommodate the range of 1.2 million movements. This target is broadly equivalent to the current volume of traffic handled in the New York or London areas, Ahli adds.
Expo 2020 will certainly put more pressure on the development of the airspace, adds Ahli, and that new technologies will support a more modern airspace development and management. “We are well equipped with the expertise and knowledge, but in this rapidly growing environment, we certainly require support from leading organisations in the industry. We have since many years built up relationships with prominent, well reputed companies, leading the development of Sesar and NextGen in the EU and US respectively,” he says.
A wide portfolio of the latest and most innovative air traffic control (ATC) technology and solutions will be showcased at the 2014 edition of Airport Show from May 11 to 14 at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre (DICEC).
Amongst the global ATC players at the event this year are ADB Airfield Solutions (Belgium), Cooper Crouse Hinds (US), Erni AGL and Europoles Suisse (both from Switzerland), Jotron (Norway) along with Bayanat Airport Engineering & Supplies, Ales, ARINC and Honeywell from the UAE.