18/05-09   -   Press releases

Dubai Airport Show 2009: “Prepared when growth resumes"

“The ATM community should see the economic downturn as a chance and use the time wisely to plan ahead. This will enable us to be prepared when growth resumes," says Achim Baumann, Regional Manager Middle East at DFS Deutsche Flugsicherung GmbH, one of Europe’s largest air navigation service providers (ANSP). Baumann knows that the declining numbers in air transport are not only an issue in Europe but also in the Middle East. The consulting arm of DFS supports other organisations with ATM solutions and training. This year, the experts will present their solutions for the region at the Dubai Airport Show, taking place from 19 to 21 May, at stand WC 14 together with the Swiss ATM system provider SkySoft-ATM.

Even though investments are still high, industry representatives are using their monetary resources more cautiously. Achim Baumann, active in the region for years, is convinced that efficient behaviour and cost awareness are key factors in the Middle East.

He suggests three ways on how to be more efficient in air traffic management matters: “One way to increase efficiency is to harmonise the airspace structures and operational concepts due to the fact that the airspace in the Middle East is to a great extent fragmented." According to Baumann, a success factor would be to include military organisations in such an exercise. “Secondly, the planning reliability of flights in the Middle East could be further enhanced if everybody involved in the turnaround process of a flight received the related information in a reliable and timely manner. And thirdly, stakeholders should consider if an existing system is fully utilised with all its abilities and capacities before investing in new systems." The goal of DFS is “to provide tailored, efficient services to enable partner organisations to be self-sufficient in the shortest possible time scale", he adds.

In order to demonstrate their consulting activities, the DFS experts will have at the stand the Air Traffic Optimizer for fast-time simulations of airspaces or airports, as well as the Incident Analyser tool, which allows air traffic situations to be visualised and replayed.


SkySoft-ATM offers a complete range of products for air traffic control centres and towers. The solutions are based on innovative technologies, open architectures, commercial off-the-shelf platforms and open source software. The system provider has recently implemented its complete ATC solution at the Ras Al Khaimah Airport in the United Arab Emirates.



For more information please contact:
Nanda Geelvink (DFS), Phone: +49 (0)6103 707-1308, Fax: +49 (0)6103 707-1395
E-mail: Nanda.Geelvink@dfs.de

Claude Levacher (SkySoft-ATM), Phone: +41 (0)22 417 47 96, Fax: +41 (0)22 417 47 77
E-mail claude.levacher@skysoft-atm.com


DFS Deutsche Flugsicherung GmbH, the German air navigation service provider, is a State-owned company under private law and has 5,350 employees. DFS ensures the safe and punctual handling of flights. Staff coordinate up to 10,000 aircraft movements in German airspace every day, and more than 3 million movements every year. Germany has the highest traffic volume in Europe. DFS operates control centres in Langen, Bremen, Karlsruhe and Munich. In addition, DFS staff work in the control towers of the 16 international airports in Germany, as well as at the Eurocontrol Centre in Maastricht, the Netherlands. DFS provides training and consultancy services around the world and develops and sells air traffic control, surveillance and navigation systems. The company´s portfolio also comprises flight-relevant data, aeronautical publications and aeronautical information services. DFS has the following business units: Control Centre, Tower, Aeronautical Solutions and Aeronautical Information Management.

SkySoft-ATM is a leading-edge ATC solutions provider. The company offers a complete range of products designed with and for its customers to answer the current and future needs of air traffic control centres and towers. The approach is to design solutions based on innovative technologies, open architectures, commercial off-the-shelf platforms, open source software to deliver safe, productive and cost efficient systems (www.skysoft-atm.com). During ATC Global 2009, SkySoft-ATM launched the Albatross ATM open source community. The objective of this newly formed community is to collaborate in the development of ATM technologies and make them openly available under open source licenses (www.albatross.aero).