The Diplomat
Indra will modernise Cape Verde’s oceanic air traffic control centre on the island of Sal, as well as the control towers of Santiago, Boa Vista, São Vicente and Sal with advanced technologies, with the aim of increasing air traffic safety and efficiency.
The company said in a statement yesterday that this is one of the most important projects for the future of air navigation in the western part of the continent, as Cape Verde acts as a gateway to the region.
Sal’s oceanic control centre provides navigation services to flights arriving and departing from Cape Verde or passing through its Flight Information Region (FIR) following routes linking West Africa and Europe with both ends of America, respectively.
The state-of-the-art systems to be implemented by Indra include automation solutions and a voice-over-IP communications control system, as well as a simulator to train controllers.
With the Spanish company’s implementation, ASA (Empresa Nacional de Aeroportos e Segurança Aérea), the African country’s air navigation service provider, will also be able to improve its interoperability with other control centres and enjoy greater flexibility.
The technology will also increase the capacity to handle more traffic and more visitors, which will have a positive impact on the country’s tourism industry.
Indra’s ATM Business Development Director, Enrique Castillo, highlighted Indra’s two decades of work in the country with solutions of this type.
Cape Verde joins the long list of African countries where the company has air traffic systems projects underway, such as Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Ghana, Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda. In total, it has completed modernisation projects in 49 countries on the continent.
