Airservices has installed a new system to improve the identification of aircraft and vehicles at Perth Airport.
Perth is the fourth airport in Australia to receive the Advanced Surface Movement Guidance and Control System (A-SMGCS), joining Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney airports which are already using the technology.
The A-SMGCS automatically identifies all aircraft and transponder-equipped vehicles on the runways and taxiways at Perth Airport through the collection of surveillance data from multiple sources, Airservices said on May 5.
“We know from experience that introducing this technology helps improve airport safety and reliability by providing air traffic controllers with an enhanced picture of all movements on runways and taxiway areas,” Airservices executive general manager for air traffic control Greg Hood said in a statement.
“This gives controllers another tool to safely manage surface movements, offers better detection of potential conflicts and further lowers risk of surface collisions.
“It also improves the reliability and efficiency of airport operations during bad weather and at night, when distances from our control tower can make visual monitoring more challenging.”
Airservices said A-SMGCS alerted controllers to predicted conflicts between vehicles and aircraft, as well as multiple aircraft movements, before they could occur through visual and aural alarms.
