Indra, a leading global technological engineering company for the aerospace, defence and mobility sectors, has doubled Bahrain’s air traffic management capacity with the implementation of a new state-of-the-art control center that is set to further ensure the safety and fluidity of aircraft movements throughout the Arabian Gulf and on some key routes linking Asia, Europe and Africa.
A wide swath of airspace stretching over the international waters of the Arabian Gulf, an essential transit area for a large number of regional and international flights, falls under the responsibility of the Ministry of Transportation and Telecommunications’ Civil Aviation Affairs. Efficient control of a communications hub such as this is of vital importance, particularly at a time like the present, when the region is witnessing significantly increased air traffic.
This challenge led the Civil Aviation Affairs to appoint Indra for the implementation of a new and fully digitalized air traffic control center with double the size and capabilities of the previous one.
The major technological leap entailed by its entry into service will facilitate accurate management and significantly improve the coordination with the control centers of neighboring countries. This will be achieved as a result of the implementation of the Indra’s ManagAir system, one of the most advanced air traffic management solutions currently available.
The huge computing power provided by this system will permit, among numerous other benefits, the early detection of any potential route conflicts and the optimization of aircraft trajectories to reduce fuel consumption and improve sustainability.
Indra has received the support of DFS, the German air navigation service provider, to guarantee a rapid and safe transition to the new system. oreover, to further enhance air safety throughout the country, the company is transforming the former control center into a fully modernized backup facility that is capable of taking over air traffic control if necessary.
According to Indra’s Middle East ATM Director, Jesús Fernández Ocaña, “Bahrain currently has one of the most efficient and safest skies in existence. Its new air traffic control center is ready to continue to expand and incorporate the new technologies that will emerge in the coming years. The Ministry of Transportation and Telecommunications will thus become one of the major players in the transformation that the sector is undergoing”.
The project to modernize this control center was undertaken during the most difficult moments of the pandemic, requiring additional efforts by the Civil Aviation Affairs and Indra, the technological engineering company. This has contributed to establishing a stable relationship of understanding and trust between the two partners, which has proven key to fulfilling the demanding objectives that were initially set.
Indra is one of the world’s main suppliers of air traffic systems and it enjoys a position of clear leadership in the Arabian Peninsula. The company has modernized the control centers of Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait and Jordan and it has supplied air traffic systems to Qatar. From a global perspective, it’s one of the companies that’s leading the digitalization of the European sky and it has implemented more than 6,000 facilities worldwide. To date its technology has facilitated more than 200 million safe landings at 1,400 airports.
