Thales to harmonise and modernise ATC centres across six african countries

Thales was awarded a contract by the Agency for Air Navigation Security in Africa and Madagascar (ASECNA) for the harmonisation and modernisation of their air traffic control centres in six countries including Senegal, Congo, Niger, Ivory Coast, Chad and Madagascar. ASECNA is in charge of five Flight Information Regions (FIRs), controlling the largest area in the region and covering a total of 16 million square kilometres across the African continent.

With this contract ASECNA will be compliant with the latest standards of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and in particular with the ICAO Flight Plan 2012 format. The modernised ATC systems will include a Multi Sensor Tracking System, integrating all surveillance means including radars, ADS-B, ADS-C, Multilateration and Wide Area Multilateration. The harmonisation of the ATC centres will reduce operation and maintenance costs and offer smoother ATC services to airlines flying through the airspace. As a result, ASECNA will be able to position itself as a major player in the African Indian Ocean zone (AFI) in terms of cooperation between civil aviation authorities.

Thales will also deliver a training and test platform for air traffic controllers, allowing ASECNA to optimise airspace monitoring and achieve its mission of offering smoother ATC services to airlines passing through this region.

Thales is consolidating its position in Africa, where Eurocat system is covering more than 70% of the continent’s FIRs.