Airservices Australia has commissioned a new VHF radio and ADS-B system on Lord Howe Island which it says will improve safety for air traffic serving the island and over flying high capacity jet airliner traffic en route to and from east coast airports.
“For the first time, Airservices air traffic controllers will be able to positively identify, track and directly manage aircraft within a 250nm radius (around 460km) of Lord Howe,” said Airservices’s general manager technology and asset services Alastair Hodgson.
ADS-B coverage from Lord Howe, in conjunction with existing east coast radar services, means flights between Sydney, Brisbane and Lord Howe will now be under constant surveillance by air traffic controllers, which will also help improve the efficiency of traffic movements into Sydney.
The VHF radio upgrade meanwhile will deliver improved communications with air traffic controllers compared to the previous high frequency radio link, which is prone to atmospheric interference.
