New ATMS proves capable of handling peak air traffic during Christmas and New Year holidays
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During the peak air traffic flow, i.e. between December 23, 2016, and January 2, 2017, there was a daily average of 1 142 flight movements at HKIA, representing about a 1 per cent increase when compared with the average of 1 133 daily flight movements at HKIA over the corresponding period a year earlier. In addition, there was a daily average of 838 overflights, representing an increase of about 13 per cent when compared with a daily average of 739 overflights during the same period a year earlier. The new ATMS handled a total of 1 980 flights per day on average, representing an increase of some 6 per cent when compared with 1 872 total flights per day handled over the same period a year earlier. The total number of flights handled during this Christmas and New Year period also set a record level. Please see the attached table for the flight movement statistics during the Christmas and New Year holidays.
"The new ATMS has been fully commissioned for more than a month and has experienced different weather conditions and modes of operation. The air traffic movements have been generally smooth during the first peak traffic flow. Through the use of radar, together with the satellite-based “Automatic Dependent Surveillance - Broadcast (ADS-B)” system, the new ATMS has effectively managed the peak traffic. It is expected that the coming Lunar New Year will be another peak traffic flow. The CAD has deployed additional air traffic control (ATC) staff to ensure a safe and efficient air traffic management service for the public around the clock during the festive period," the spokesman said.
Apart from deploying additional staff, the CAD implemented the "air traffic flow control measure", also known as "flow control" for short, to reduce the number of aircraft entering its airspace during a particular period of time, so as to ensure safe and orderly air traffic operations within its airspace during the coming Lunar New Year holidays and when there were operational needs. Implementation of flow control is not related to the performance of the new ATMS. The flow control measure concerned is applicable to overflights, which do not take off or land at HKIA, and does not affect flight landing or taking off at HKIA. Hence, the impact on travellers or visitors would be minimal. In the past when the old ATMS was in use, the CAD has also implemented similar flow control in view of the high flow of flights overflying Hong Kong. As a matter of fact, ATC units around the world routinely consider implementing flow control to suit the actual operational needs of their airports at different times and their own handling capacity. Apart from Hong Kong, the CAD understands that other ATC units, including in Japan, Thailand and the Philippines, have also implemented flow control measures to suit their actual operational needs. Against the above, implementation of flow control is a usual means worldwide for ATC to manage air traffic, which is not unfamiliar with the people in the aviation industry. There was a view which suggested that the flow control measures were implemented due to the "poor performance" of the new ATMS. This is a wrong interpretation of air traffic management.
The new ATMS is able to handle 8 000 flight plans per day and can simultaneously monitor 1 500 air or ground targets (five times and 1.5 times the original system respectively), making it capable of coping with future air traffic growth, including that under the three-runway-system development. The new system can enhance the CAD’s capability in air traffic management and the competitiveness of HKIA in the region. The CAD will continue to closely monitor the performance of the new ATMS and complete the system optimisation work as soon as possible.
Ends/Tuesday, January 3, 2017
Issued at HKT 22:56
Issued at HKT 22:56
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