World’s First NORMARC 7000 Ultra-Wide ILS Localizer Successfully Flight Commissioned

Skyguide, the Swiss Air Navigation Service Provider, has successfully completed the commissioning flight inspection of the world’s first NORMARC Ultra-Wide Instrument Landing System (ILS) Localizer to CAT III standards. The stability test period following the flight inspection was successfully completed in mid-November. Final certification is expected to be completed in a few weeks from now. The 75-meter wide localizer is installed at Zurich’s main landing runway 14. Skyguide will put the system into full CAT III (low visibility) operation in December 2014.

“As a result of increased traffic at Zurich Airport, we continuously face pressures to improve runway efficiency. Our strong collaboration with the project team at Indra Navia will help us get maximum usage out of our infrastructure without compromising the safety of passengers. We are excited to see the benefits that result from putting this new 32-Element NORMARC into operational use,” says Hervé Demule, Project Manager at skyguide.

This latest member of the NORMARC ILS family provides an estimated possible gain of 10%-20% in runway efficiency, potentially improving the airport’s profitability. The NORMARC Ultra-Wide Localizer’s narrow sensitive area allows ILS CAT III holding points and large aircraft movements (such as the Airbus A380) to be moved closer to the runway in CAT III operations. The implementation of the operational benefits will take place from 2015.

Skyguide

With Switzerland at the crossroad of international airways, the airspace managed by skyguide is the most complex and most extensively used in Europe. Skyguide is Switzerland’s air navigation service provider, whose mandate extends well beyond Switzerland’s borders to include areas above France, Italy, Austria and Germany. Over 40% of all the flights handled are in this adjacent airspace.

Skyguide has 1400 employees with over 500 civil and military air traffic controllers. Over 300 engineers, technicians and IT-experts are responsible for the development and maintenance of the complex technical installations and facilities.

Indra Navia

Indra Navia designs, produces, and integrates cutting-edge communication, navigation, and tower systems for the world’s leading airports and air traffic control organizations. Specializing in highly customized solutions, the company delivers outstanding long-term value under the most demanding conditions. More than 1200 airports around the world rely on GAREX, NORMARC and NOVA.

Indra

Indra, chaired by Javier Monzón, is Spain's number one consulting and technology multinational and one of the main multinationals in Europe and Latin America. Innovation and sustainability are the cornerstone of its business, having assigned over €570 million to R&D&I in the last three years, a figure that places it among the top European companies in its sector in terms of investment. With approximate sales of €3,000 M, 61% of its sales revenue is from the international market. It has 43,000 employees and customers in over 138 countries.