Australian air navigation service provider Airservices Australia has selected Frequentis Australasia to develop a Flight Information Management System (FIMS) that will enable Airservices to seamlessly incorporate drones, air taxis and other uncrewed aircraft into Australian airspace.
The FIMS will be at the core of Australia’s Uncrewed Aircraft Systems Traffic Management (UTM) ecosystem. It will enable Airservices to share flight information between air traffic control, traditional aircraft, and uncrewed airspace users, says the press release.
Frequentis was selected after a comprehensive selection process, which included prototype development and in-field trials. The company has proven experience in the delivery of operational UTM systems around the world. The selection process reviewed prototype flight information management systems from Altitude Angel, Frequentis Australasia and OneSky Systems.
Airservices Australia is preparing for an anticipated influx of drones over the next 20 years with the appointment of Frequentis Australasia to develop a digital air traffic management to safely integrate millions of uncrewed aircraft flights into Australia’s busy airspace.
A new analysis commissioned by Airservices predicts that drone flights in Australia will surge from around 1.5 million currently to more than 60 million by 2043, requiring the latest technologies to manage the significant increase in air traffic.
Jason Harfield, Airservices Australia Chief Executive Officer, said the new system would support the safe integration of current and future air traffic with the rapid growth of uncrewed aircraft. “Drones are the biggest growth area in aviation and our partnership with Frequentis to develop a FIMS will enable us to integrate traditional and new airspace users into increasingly busy airspace. With Frequentis, we will develop a FIMS that meets the needs of Australian airspace users and ensures we can safely integrate millions of drone flights with other users. I’m confident the new FIMS will encourage the growing drone market to reach its full potential in Australia.”
Martin Rampl, Managing Director, Frequentis Australia said: “We are looking forward to working with Airservices to jointly develop the system, pushing technological innovation in the uncrewed aviation domain, including the ability to integrate new services in the future.”
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