The Aerobahn Runway Safety Service from Saab, chosen by the FAA for the SAI program (Surface Awareness Initiative), is up and running at Nashville International Airport in less than 90 days, helping air traffic controllers manage operations.
Surface surveillance systems increase runway safety by providing real-time information about the position, movement and relative location of aircraft and vehicles to air traffic controllers.
They also issue audible and visual alerts to prevent imminent collisions on the road. These services are essential in situations where controllers' situational awareness may be compromised by conditions such as reduced visibility, high traffic volume and complexity of the layout from the airport.
The FAA's SAI program proves that advanced, cost-effective surveillance technologies can help improve security at airports where financial constraints have historically prevented the adoption of traditional surveillance platforms ed by Surface Radars (SMR).
Launched in 2003, the platform Aerobahn da Saab has been adopted by more than 30 airports globally, including major hubs such as Atlanta, Chicago and Hong Kong, as well as smaller regional airports such as Yampa Valley in the United States.
The recent adoption of the platform Aerobahn Runway Safety Service in Nashville, as part of the FAA's SAI program, represents a significant advancement for airports that want to improve safety in air traffic control operations without the high installation and maintenance costs associated with Surface Radars (SMR) and traditional platforms A-SMGCS (Advanced Surface Movement, Guidance and Control System).
Another point to highlight is that the platform Aerobahn is in full compliance with ICAO's GANP (Global Air Navigation Plan) – SURF Module B0/2, which recommends access to real-time surface surveillance data as essential to ensure common situational awareness in surface operations for airport operators.
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