South Africa’s Air Traffic and Navigation Services (ATNS) and aviation industry leaders Aireon have strengthened their commitment to collaboration, forging a cooperative agreement to advance space-based automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) products and services in Africa.
Both parties have fine-tuned their approach through operational workshops in Johannesburg, South Africa. ATNS will actively support Aireon in expanding the usage of ADS-B data to other countries in the region. This collaborative effort will also involve providing operational case studies on ADS-B for countries in Southern Africa and exploring opportunities for regional air traffic flow management (ATFM).
Notably, ATNS has already integrated Aireon data into its air traffic operations, starting in June. Building on this success, the two entities will further explore the implementation of various Aireon products and services. These include Aireon Locate, which aids search and rescue operations, AireonFLOW for optimising air traffic flow management, AireonINSIGHT for safety data analytics, and billing solutions.
In addition, the strengthened alliance between Aireon and ATNS can significantly enhance African air traffic management capabilities, contributing to increased safety, efficiency, and coordination within the region’s airspace. As both organisations continue to work closely together, they are poised to play a pivotal role in shaping the future of aviation across the continent.
“This agreement further codifies the very productive working relationship between two industry leaders, bringing together two best-in-class innovators,” said Don Thoma, Aireon CEO. “Aireon is excited to explore this ATNS partnership to support efforts to bring ADS-B’s operational, safety and environmental value to the region.”
“ATNS is one of the early adopters of Aireon’s space-based ADS-B service, and today marks a major milestone in our Commercialization Agreement that we signed in 2016,” said ATNS CEO Nozipho Mdawe. “Armed with this capability backed by our partner Aireon, we are well positioned to continue contributing to regional solutions geared towards seamless airspace operation in the Africa and Indian Ocean region.”
Check here for more information regarding the partnership.
