Airservices officially opens new Adelaide Air Traffic Control Tower

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, the Hon Anthony Albanese and Airservices Deputy Chair, Dr Warren Mundy, officially opened Airservices new air traffic control tower in Adelaide today.

The tower, which cost $16.9 million, stands 44 metres high, more than twice the height of the current tower built almost 30 years ago.

Airservices Chief Executive Officer, Margaret Staib said the new Adelaide tower is Airservices third air traffic control tower to be equipped with the latest state of the art technology.

“This is a significant change in providing air traffic control services, moving from the traditional paper system to a new fully digital system and will greatly enhance our service delivery in Adelaide,” Ms Staib said.

“It ensures we are in a position to meet the anticipated growth for air services and provide safe, efficient air traffic operations in Adelaide well into the future. We are committed to using the latest technology to safely and efficiently manage passenger aircraft throughout Australia, particularly at our major airports.”

The new Adelaide Tower mirrors the ‘glass cockpit’ concept of modern jet aircraft, featuring 32 customisable touch screens to provide information to air traffic controllers to perform operational tasks. The display system integrates flight and operational data, surveillance and voice communications into one sophisticated tower-specific design.

Specialised single pane glazing on the tower cabin will ensure stringent optical, thermal and acoustic performance to ensure air traffic controllers can carry out their tasks safely.

“By investing in new and emerging technologies, we will be establishing the foundation for Australia’s next generation air traffic management environment,” Ms Staib said.

Airservices was recently ranked among the world’s best air navigation providers as part of an international safety benchmarking study undertaken by the Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation (CANSO).