At the beginning of October, the air traffic service at Ivalo Airport transitioned from a procedural Air Traffic Service (ATS) system to a radar-based ATS system. The change is Fintraffic Air Navigation Services Ltd's response to the growing needs of seasonal traffic in Lapland. Through the transition it also strives to ensure a smoother air control service for airlines and other airspace users. What does the change mean in practice and what benefits does it bring?
Earlier, the Air Traffic Service in Ivalo was implemented as ‘procedural ATS’. In this system, approach control activities are based on location data provided by aircraft, time estimates and predetermined separation minima. The tools used in the procedural ATS were radio communications, flight progress strips and an informative radar display used for establishing the air situation picture. Changing the ATS system into radar-based ATS will modernise the working methods used for ATS at Ivalo airport. Now all the information required about a flight can be verified on the radar screen of the air traffic control tower without separate verification by radio.
“In the procedural working method, it is essential that aircraft follow the pre-published entry and exit routes. However, any deviations from these due to, for example, unexpected weather conditions or other exceptional situations, made air traffic control rigid. Thanks to the radar-based ATS, we are now better equipped to enable continuous descents and take-offs. This will bring airlines savings in fuel costs and reduce environmental emissions. The change will also improve our cooperation with the regional air traffic control, as we are now both using the same ATS methods,” says Petri Rajaniemi, COO for Fintraffic Air Navigation Services in Northern Finland
Radar-based ATC service enhances safety
Outside the high season, Ivalo Airport operates between 50 and 100 flights per month, but during the winter season, like in December, there may be more than 500 flights per month. During the winter season, air traffic controllers are kept busy not only by more frequent flight traffic but also by challenging winter conditions. They require the full attention of air traffic controllers to ensure that anti-skid and winter maintenance operators can move safely in the airfield area and on the runways.
“It enhances safety when air traffic controllers can monitor the flights not only via radio but also on the radar screen and thus focus more on what is happening on the runway. We will gain the first practical experience of the benefits brought by the change in December when the winter season of Ivalo Airport begins,” Rajaniemi says.
The transition was implemented in collaboration between many parties, including Fintraffic Air Navigation Technology and Development Units, Aeronautical Information Unit and the vocational special education institution Avia College.
“The change is a great indication of how cooperation between different sectors can bring about significant steps forward and of how much in-house expertise we have at Fintraffic Air Navigation Services. I would like to warmly thank everyone who has been involved in enabling the preparation and implementation of the new radar-based ATS in Ivalo,” says Rajaniemi.
