Fiji Airports has signed a $13.2million contract with GECI Espanola SA to upgrade and
modernise its Communication, Navigation and Surveillance systems in the Nadi Flight Information Region.
The ATS Message Handling System (AMHS), IWXXM System and the HF Radio Replacement projects are in line with the Fiji Airports’ Air navigation service plan in compliance with the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Global Air Navigation Plan (GANP) and Aviation System Block Upgrade (ASBU).
Fiji Airports Chief Executive, Mesake Nawari said the implementation of the Communication Navigation Surveillance (CNS) in the provision of Air Traffic Management (ATM) services in the 6.5 million square kilometres of airspace managed by Fiji Airports in the Nadi Flight Information Region (FIR) aligns very well with the company’s Digital Transition and Advancement strategy.
“The signing of this contract today marks the first partnership between Fiji Airports and GECI Group, and we are equally excited to see the implementation with the benefits associated with our transition into advanced air traffic systems as we prepare to celebrate our 25 th Anniversary next month,” Nawari said.
Speaking from Spain, GECI Group Chairman and President, Daniel Jimenez said the project is critical and they have prioritised this project to speed up the installation of the equipment.
“We know how critical it is and we look forward to supporting Fiji Airports and to ensure the success of this project as we continue to explore ways to support advancement of air traffic systems,” Jimenez said.
The AMHS & IWXXM will replace the existing Comsoft AMHS system that was commissioned in 2010 and will have the capability to exchange extended messages as file attachment in digital XML format like AIXM, FIXXM & IWXXM messages.
And the implementation of the IWXXM will support the Nadi Regional OPMET Data Bank(RODB) for the exchange of the ROBEX bulletin in IWXXM format between the five RODB in the Asia/Pacific region that consist of Australia, Fiji, Japan, Singapore and Thailand.
The AMHS & IWXXM system is designed with the baseline requirement for expansion to support Aeronautical Information Management (AIM) and the System Wide Information Management (SWIM) system as the aviation communication system in future.
The HF Radio project will replace the existing JRC HF Radio that was commissioned in 1998 to provide air to ground voice communication between Air Traffic Control and Pilot in the Nadi FIR.
The new HF Radio will be installed at the current site at Nadi Airport and designed with Voice over IP (VOIP) capability that will improve the quality of voice communication over HF radio.
The AMHS & IWXXM System is planned to be commissioned in December 2024 and the HF Radio replacement that will be delivered in two Phases will be completed in March 2025.
