New ground movement system for Sydney

Airservices Australia has rolled out a $35 million Advanced Surface Movement Guidance and Control System (A-SMGCS) at Sydney Airport, which it says will help to improve safety for aircraft and ground vehicles.

The system allows air traffic controllers to see an electronic picture of what is happening on the ground at any time through the collection of surveillance data from multiple sources, helping to improve their awareness of aircraft and vehicle positions on the tarmac around the airport.

“About 800 aircraft movements are monitored by air traffic controllers every day at Sydney Airport. This system offers better conflict detection for controllers – for example, vehicles crossing an active runway without clearance – and a lower risk of surface collisions,” said Airservices’s general manager of air traffic control Jason Harfield.

Airservices has also implemented A-SMGCS at Melbourne Airport and is planning to roll it out at Perth and Brisbane airports later this year.