Panama chooses Thales’s TopSky ATC for its newest Air Traffic Control Centre

Following the signing of the contract on 25th November 2011, Thales is now delighted to announce the provision to the Civil Aviation Authority of Panama (AAC), of a brand new building which will house a 12 Control Working Position (CWP) Air Traffic Control (ATC) Centre capable of managing the entirety of the en-route and approach segments of Panama’s airspace.

The turnkey solution will include not only the Thales TopSky-ATC, one of the world’s most advanced air traffic control systems, alongside its associated TopSky-Simulator (for the training of Panamenian Air traffic control officers) but also a latest generation Aeronautical Message Handling System (AMHS) and the high-end Thales Aeronautical Information Management System (AIM) that will allow AAC to more effectively manage and edit its own Aeronautical Information Publication (AIP) electronically. All this will be housed in a 3,300 square meter building to be built by Thales’ local partner Sofratesa de Panama.

In addition to all the equipment provided by Thales, the new system will also be fully compliant with the new ICAO Flight Plan 2012 format, which was a baseline requirement and one of the key reasons behind the AAC’s decision to launch this important project.

This turnkey solution will allow Panama to continue to offer the best in high-end aeronautical services to airlines or other users and is expected to be delivered, along with its housing building, fully operational and verified, to the Panamenian authorities by Summer 2013.

Commenting on this significant deal, Rémi Gille, Thales VP and Thales Head of Air Traffic Management, said: “The AAC have posed themselves an incredibly ambitious challenge, in one fell swoop they have instigated a massive upgrade of their entire Air Traffic Management network and being chosen to partner with them in this is a true honour. Our prime position in Latin America is well established, however, being chosen to help in such a venture is a true reaffirmation of the dominant position we hold in the region’s ATM market.”

With more than 130 radars and 25 Air traffic Centres installed across Mexico, Santo Domingo, Colombia, Ecuador, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil, as well as navigation aids systems in operation in nearly all the countries of the region, Thales confirms its strong leadership in the broader Latin American region, where it has been present for over 40 years.