CAAS unveils plans to build air traffic management capabilities and solutions for Singapore and the Asia-Pacific region

Singapore will be developed into a Centre of Excellence for Air Traffic Management (ATM), a nexus for the development of ATM capabilities and solutions to meet the needs of Singapore and the Asia-Pacific through research and development. This vision and the broad plans were announced by Mr Lui Tuck Yew, Minister for Transport, at the commissioning of a new air traffic control simulator at the Singapore Aviation Academy today.

The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) estimates air traffic in the Asia-Pacific region to triple by 2030. ATM is critical in supporting this growth. Hence, ATM technologies and solutions must be developed to achieve greater capacity and maintain high safety and service standards in Singapore and the Asia-Pacific region. The plan to establish Singapore as a Centre of Excellence for ATM is thus timely. Given Singapore’s strength in ATM operations and energy in contributing to ATM modernisation in the region, including through various ICAO ATM initiatives and collaborating with international and regional partners to address ATM challenges, Singapore is also well-positioned to develop into a Centre of Excellence for ATM.

Building an ecosystem for ATM

The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) aims to build a vibrant and self-sustaining ecosystem for ATM in Singapore, comprising research institutes and think-tanks, industry players, academia, and foreign and international ATM entities and aviation stakeholders contributing to a wide range of ATM research and development activities, generating ATM knowledge and expertise, and developing ATM capabilities and solutions to meet the unique requirements of Singapore and the region.

The research institutes and think-tanks will work, including with industry players, on developing new concepts and technologies, including adapting from those developed for other regions, to address ATM challenges unique to Singapore and the Asia-Pacific region. Industry players, together with the research institutes and think-tanks, will test-bed and translate the new concepts and technologies into real world ATM solutions to support the growth of the Singapore air hub and air transport in the Asia-Pacific, making Singapore a market-place for such solutions in the region. The Institutes of Higher Learning, hosting or working with the research institutes and think-tanks, will harness the ATM knowledge and expertise generated for education and training, including to develop the human capital required to support the work of the ecosystem.

The Centre of Excellence for ATM will draw foreign and international ATM entities and aviation stakeholders to establish and increase their presence in Singapore, including through collaborative partnerships. With a presence in Singapore, these organisations will contribute to as well as benefit from the amassing of knowledge and expertise, innovations and ideas, concepts and solutions, and intellectual and human capital in Singapore. Singapore is already home to the regional headquarters (HQs) of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation (CANSO), and the United States (US) Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which is driving the US’ ATM modernisation efforts under the NextGen (Next Generation Transportation System) programme. In February 2012, CAAS signed a Letter of Intent with the Single European Sky ATM Research Joint Undertaking (SESAR JU) which gives Singapore valuable access to more than 125 members and associate partners in the SESAR JU consortium working on the SESAR programme. In May 2012, CAAS signed a Memorandum of Cooperation with NATS, the United Kingdom’s air navigation service provider, including to collaborate on and develop solutions addressing emerging ATM challenges.

CAAS has set up a Centre of Excellence for ATM Programme Fund (CEPF) of S$200 million for a period of 10 years to provide seed funding for the establishment of research institutes and think-tanks and the conduct of research and development activities in the area of ATM. The CEPF will be managed by a new dedicated programme office that CAAS will set up to lead the efforts to develop Singapore into a Centre of Excellence for ATM.