Inauguration of Automatic Dependence Surveillance – Broadcast (ADS-B) Operations at the Area Control Centre, Colombo Airport, Ratmalana

November 15, 2017

Automatic Dependent Surveillance – Broadcast (ADS-B) is considered as one of the latest developments in the surveillance technologies used for Air Traffic Control purposes.

ADS-B system in-fact provides Radar-like information to the Air Traffic control Centres on ground to determine the position, altitude, speed etc., of aircraft in-flight based on specific type of messages broadcast by the aircraft which containing its position information derived from the GPS. It’s less costly as it does not involve any Transmitters on Ground but only a set of Receivers located at selected locations in the country to capture the signals emitted by the aircraft, which are sent to a Central Processing Unit, which present the positional information of Aircraft within the applicable range, to the Air Traffic Control Centres on ground.

The ADS-B implementation project was awarded to ERA a.s of Czech Republic through an international competitive bidding process. Airport & Aviation Services (SL) Ltd., is proud to mention that the System Design and Site selection for ADS-B Receivers, meeting the optimized coverage requirements, have been carried out by its own team of Electronics Engineers without the services of any external consultancy services. The ADS-B system has been successfully tested and Flight Inspected in July 2017.

ADS-B data received from all 05 Receivers located at BIA, MRIA, Pidurutalagala, Kilinochchi and Suriyakanda are now successfully fused and integrated with the existing Air Traffic Management (ATM) System at the Area Control Centre located at Ratmalana Airport.

The inauguration of ADS-B operations of Sri Lanka by the Hon. Minister of Civil Aviation at Colombo Area Control Centre, Ratmalana Airport coincides with the 13th Meeting of South East Asia and Bay of Bengal Sub-regional Working Group of ICAO and in the presence of this group of international experts of ADS-B, which was quite an achievement and a pride to Sri Lanka, to be in par with more developed countries in this region and across the world.

This was yet another evidence of the commitment of Sri Lanka, towards managing and operating its vast airspace, conforming and harmonizing with the Global and Regional Development trends and norms that are required to ensure Safe, Efficient and Seamless International Air Travel, especially through our Strategic Geographical Location of Sri Lanka in the Indian Ocean & just beneath the Bay of Bengal.

Photos by: AASL Media