The new Eurocat 2000 air traffic control system was introduced
at the Southern Finland air navigation services centre in
October. It came as the culmination of the long term upgrade
process known as the Finnish Air Traffic Management Integration
(FATMI) project.
The Eurocat system gives the air navigation system the
extra capacity it needs if air traffic is to grow and brings
in modern equipment systems which are in line with developments
across Europe. Air traffic controllers also have new safety
and data systems at their disposal.
The new system liberates air traffic controllers from routine
tasks. Its radar information handling functions provide
a more graphic, real-time picture of air traffic, allowing
for more effective air traffic control.
The Eurocat 2000 system is highly standardised to meet
common European requirements and comprises numerous subsystems
such as flight planning and radar information handling systems.
The southern Finland ANS centre, Europe Finland Etelä-Suomi
(EFES), is based at Aitovuori, in Tampere. EFES provides
radar-based air traffic control which derives its information
from seven radar stations situated across southern Finland.
This information is used to build up an image of air traffic
that allows controllers to guide the traffic flow.
Up to 900 aircraft fly across southern Finnish skies every
day. The southern Finland air navigation services centre
handles about 220,000 operations a year, of which about
15,000 are overflights.
