Airways International Reinvents ATC Sim Delivery

A fully remote installation of 12 air traffic control (ATC) simulator sites throughout Norway is now complete, ending a complex eight-month project for Airways International Ltd (AIL) and Avinor during the global Covid-19 pandemic.

In what is believed to be a world first, AIL reinvented its TotalControl ATC simulator delivery process to remotely install and site test the suite of simulators for Avinor Air Navigation Services. The remote installation solution will enable air navigation service providers to continue their ATC training during lockdowns and travel restrictions.

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The project’s scale of six large tower cabs (four with dedicated surveillance sims), six mobile simulators and 17 aerodrome environments, along with the tight timeframe was already a challenge. Overlaying Covid-19 border and travel restrictions created the right opportunity to adapt a reasonably standard sim commissioning process to be more dynamic, efficient and flexible, which increased feedback loops and collaboration between AIL and Avinor.

The AIL and Avinor teams worked thousands of kilometres apart during the project, using technology to undertake remote factory acceptance testing of the simulators from New Zealand, and remote site acceptance testing led by Avinor in Norway.

AIL signed the simulator contract with Avinor in May 2020.  A five-year contract for simulator licence, support and maintenance is also in place. The first tower simulator was installed and commissioned at Oslo Airport on 1 October 2020, and the final tower simulator went live at Stavanger Airport in Sola on 16 December. Since then, all remaining aerodrome environments have been built and commissioned to conclude the project.