Technology partners Airservices Australia,
SITA and Thales have congratulated Indonesia on the successful launch
of a trial to enhance airspace safety across the archipelago. The
Director General of Civil Aviation, Mr Iksan Tatang, announced the trial
in Jakarta.

The decision to trial ADS-B (automatic dependent surveillance -
broadcast) follows on from a regional International Civil Aviation
Organisation (ICAO) recommendation adopted in 2003 and demonstrates
Indonesia’s commitment to improving the safety of air travel, the three
companies said in a joint statement.

 

During the trial the ADS-B traffic data will be displayed in the Jakarta
and Makassar Air Traffic Control (ATC) Centres where it may be viewed by
air traffic controllers. This will demonstrate the enhanced surveillance
capabilities provided by ADS-B along a number of key air routes.

 

Indonesia controls a huge area of airspace, with very heavy
international and domestic air traffic. The Republic’s varied terrain
and equatorial climate mean that a variety of different surveillance
technologies are necessary to provide adequate coverage, including
radars, satellite technology and ADS-B.

 

Aircraft equipped with ADS-B, including most modern airliners, emit
digital signals every half second identifying their position, height,
speed and course. This information can be fed into a national air
traffic control system to provide a radar-like picture of aircraft
movements, complementary to other forms of surveillance.

 

The trial involves the deployment of three Thales ADS-B ground receivers
- at Denpasar in Bali, Kupang in Nusa Tenggara Timur and Natuna Island
in the South China Sea - which are linked by SITA communications links
and surveillance processors to Indonesia’s control centres in Jakarta
and Makassar. Airservices provides project and technical support and a
remote monitoring capability.

 

Based on this trial result the Directorate General Civil Aviation (DGCA)
will evaluate the technology before determining whether to roll out
ADS-B nationwide based on the service model proposed by the
Airservices/SITA ADS-B Alliance. An important consideration will be the
effectiveness of the system in enhancing surveillance across
international Flight Information Region boundaries.

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