A $7 million investment by Airports Fiji Limited will ensure instant data communication between pilots and air traffic control at the Nadi International Airport.

AFL has introduced its new state-of-the-art air traffic control system into its operation called the Aurora and AFL said it is an endorsement of the continuing journey that AFL began in the late 1990s when it partnered with the United States in trialing Global Positioning System with commercial aircraft.
 
AFL said Fiji was the first nation in the world to trial the GPS because of its flight density and its Flight Information Region isolated from the much larger aircraft movements in the larger countries of the world.

It said many of the technical standards used in the trials have been adopted by Fiji and used in operational procedures at the airport for close to 10 years while many countries in the world are now just trialing.

"Aurora" includes surveillance systems that can visually monitor international flights and has built in safety features that automatically alert the controller if the aircraft fly to closely to one another.

AFL Manager, Air Traffic Management Vula Seru said the improved safety features has allowed aircraft to maximize fuel savings.

Seru said because of the limitations of the previous system, airlines in our oceanic airspace had to stay on their flight route but with the new system the aircraft can now fly random routes taking advantage of favorable wind conditions using less fuel.


Story by: Roneel Lal