Go-live of new tower solution at Geneva Airport from Skyguide and ADB SAFEGATE

Geneva-based air navigation service provider, Skyguide, in partnership with ADB SAFEGATE, went live at Geneva Airport on 21 March with a series of safety upgrades as part of the Advanced Runway Safety Improvement Program. The implementation is a further step toward the European campaign to reduce runway incursions and create greater situational awareness for air traffic controllers.

Switzerland’s second busiest airport just became even safer, thanks to runway software upgrades made in a smooth transition. Skyguide and ADB SAFEGATE continue a fruitful partnership by completing the ARSI IT2 development for Geneva Airport. 

ARSI IT2 is the next generation of safety improvement, building from the successful ARSI released by Skyguide and another supplier that won the 2019 Jane’s ATC Runway Award celebrating advancements in air traffic control and airspace management. The recent go-live of the ARSI IT2 offers an advanced feature set that enhances operational safety, efficiency and usability. 

“With the introduction of the expanded ARSI IT2, we can provide air traffic controllers at Geneva Airport with the advanced safety tools they need for success,” said Pascal Hochstasser, Chief Tower & Approach Geneva at Skyguide.

The new safety improvements required upgrades to the airport’s Electronic Flight Strip System (EFSS), developed by ADB SAFEGATE as part of its Tower portfolio, as well as improvements to the Advanced Surface Movement Guidance and Control System (A-SMGCS). 

This will improve the situational awareness of air traffic controllers by allowing them to immediately detect critical situations of clearance conflicts or non-compliance with given clearances using alerts and warnings. 

According to Hochstrasser, “Our engineering team benefited greatly by the expertise of ADB SAFEGATE to develop, test and deliver on-time a high-quality electronic flight strip solution that meets the needs of both operational and technical staff.”

The success of the project was in great part due to the exemplary collaboration between the engineering teams at both organizations. Since 2017, ADB SAFEGATE and Skyguide have worked together to improve tools and infrastructure to achieve enhancements in terms of operational safety, efficiency, and usability. 

“ADB SAFEGATE is pleased to provide Skyguide with an advanced EFSS implementation in this high-demand integration environment,” said Gonzalo Moreno-Muñoz, VP Tower, ADB SAFEGATE. “We are committed to a long-lasting partnership with Skyguide and to supporting their strategic priorities of safety, automation and environmental demands.”