Indra strenghthens its position in Eastern Europe with Air Traffic contracts for around Euro 11M

The Lithuanian air navigation services provider SE Oro Navigacija awarded Indra the supply of the surveillance and radar control systems for the Kaunas and Palanga airports. This contract is another step towards the modernisation of the country's air traffic control systems, in addition to the previous implementation of the air space surveillance systems and the surface movement radar system at the airport of Vilnius, the country's capital. This contract adds up to the ones recently awarded in Eastern Europe to equip Mostar's air traffic controllers training centre (Bosnia and Herzegovina) and to update the systems of Rostov's control centre (Russia). The total amount of the projects is around euro 11M.

The Kaunas and Palanga airports, each one, will be equipped with a station that will incorporate state-of-the-art primary and secondary radars. The primary radar will be able to detect any aircraft trespassing its boundaries and the second will request identification and flight information from the aircraft.

The secondary IRS-20MP/S radar system has been thoroughly developed by Indra. It works in mode S, the most accurate standard regarding aircraft identification since it assigns each aircraft a unique code. It also provides flight height and navigation-related data to help air traffic controllers manage air space. Data quality exceeds the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and Eurocontrol’s standards.

Another benefit is that maintenance is very simple and can be performed remotely, hence it will be reduced to a minimum.

On the other hand, Indra will start up a simulation system for air traffic controllers’ training in Mostar (Bosnia and Herzegovina). The system will be equipped with six sector control units and four pseudo-pilot positions where the communications between the pilot and the control centre will be reproduced.

The project is part of the works the IT company is carrying out in the country in order to equip it with the necessary air space surveillance and traffic control systems to recover its sovereignty, which they lost during the 1992-1995 war. The transfer of competences is due next year from Zagreb (Croatia) and Belgrade (Serbia).

Air space management at the south of Russia

Indra will provide technical support and will update the control centre’s systems of Rostov airport, Russia’s second most important and where North Caucasus’ air space is controlled.

The company undertook the implementation of the control centre systems of the airport, the maintenance and the necessary updates its high level of availability requires since the systems became operational in 2005.

The systems have helped the control centre tackle a significant increase of air traffic during the last years, due specially to the expansion of the routes that join Europe and Middle East and the increasing amount of domestic flights.

Indra has been present in Russia’s air traffic management market since 1989. Among the most outstanding projects developed in the country is the implementation of the control centre’s systems in Moscow, the most important of the country.

Eastern Europe

Indra is carrying out important air traffic projects in Eastern Europe, among which we should highlight the supply of Unified Air Traffic Management System, named Pegasus 21, to integrate the country’s air space management systems on a single platform. Indra has customised the systems according to Eurocontrol’s standards to prepare Poland to become a member of the single European sky initiative in the future.

This important reference in the air traffic market adds up to the other contracts in Russia, Ukraine and Macedonia and to the projects developed by the IT company in other sectors in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Moldova and Romania.

Indra is Spain’s first IT multinational and one of Europe and Latin America’s most important. It is the second European company in its sector according to stock market capitalisation and it is also the second Spanish company with more investment in R+D. In 2007, revenues exceeded € 2.167M; a third part of it came from the international market. The company employs more than 24.000 professionals and has developed projects in more than 90 countries.