ADAC and Thales to implement most advanced air traffic control management systems

Notes and media contacts

About Thales:

Thales is a global technology leader for the Aerospace and Space, Defence, Security and Transportation markets. In 2008, the company generated revenues of 12.7 billion euros with 68,000 employees in 50 countries. With its 25,000 engineers and researchers, Thales has a unique capability to design, develop and deploy equipment, systems and services that meet the most complex security requirements. Thales has an exceptional international footprint, with operations around the world working with customers as local partners. www.thalesgroup.com


About Abu Dhabi Airports Company (ADAC)

Abu Dhabi Airports Company (ADAC) is a public joint stock company wholly owned by the Abu Dhabi Government. It was incorporated by Amiri Decree number 5, issued on 4 March 2006, to spearhead the development of the Emirate's aviation infrastructure.

In September 2006, ADAC took over responsibility for the operation and management of Abu Dhabi and Al Ain international Airports. In 2008, ADAC added Al Bateen private jet airport, formerly
Al Bateen military airbase, and Sir Bani Yas and Delma Island Airports to its portfolio. These airports all serve different segments of the marketplace and help contribute to Abu Dhabi's development as a destination for both business and leisure tourism.

Currently underway is the large scale AED 25 (USD6.8) billion re-development and expansion of Abu Dhabi International Airport designed to increase the overall capacity of the airport to more than 20 million passengers per year. As part of this redevelopment, a second runway and a third terminal have been completed. A new ATC Tower and Midfield Terminal Complex will complete the redevelopment within the next few years.

(1) Thales's EUROCAT is a modular system that controls traffic in continental en route, terminal approach, transcontinental and oceanic airspace.

(2) EUROCAT-T is a tower automation system that facilitates the coordination between ATC controllers by replacing the traditional paper strips with a centralised information system highly adaptable to local operational procedures.

(3) SMGCS is an open, modular and scalable architecture system that can provide all four ICAO-defined primary functions: Surveillance, Control, Routing and Guidance. Its main objective is to increase the safety and efficiency of airport surface traffic management and operation by better utilization of available infrastructure and resources.

(4) The Distance Measuring Equipment system provides pilots with distance information between the aircraft and the location of the DME ground equipment. The system is used for both en-route and terminal area guidance.

(5) The Thales multilateration system is part of a surveillance product family. This modular product family can be configured for redundancies, multiple data links, multiple output power ratings for transmission, as well as omnidirectional or sectored antennas, enabling it to be customised and cost optimised for almost all surveillance systems.

For further information, please contact:

Thales, Air Systems
Danielle Pitel-Pambia
Tel: +33 1 79 61 54 10