Hong Kong’s new air traffic control system overcomes teething pains to handle Lunar New Year surge
Airport staff were able to handle more flight activity than during 2016 festive period
The city’s aviation chief hailed the reliability of the new ATMS, which managed an average of 2,055 daily flight and overflight movements – up 3 per cent from the same period last year, when the old system was used.
During the holiday period, the HK$1.56 billion system clocked 11 consecutive days of handling more than 2,000 flight movements. The new system is capable of handling up to 8,000 flight movements a day – five times more than its predecessor.
Several notable problems had dogged the Raytheon Auto Trac III system since its introduction in November, resulting in delays and flight disruptions. An expert panel was formed to ensure smooth operation of the system and to assuage doubts about the Civil Aviation Department’s capability of handling the new flight technology.