Leonardo and Independent Business Group (acting on behalf of the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority) have signed a contract to supply an Approach Spacing Decision Support Tool to the Hamad International Airport (HIA).

Leonardo will equip the Air Traffic Management (ATM) automation system at HIA with a tool that provides for Distance Based Separation Management of arriving flights. This allows approach controllers to improve runway arrival throughput by ensuring the safe separation of the aircraft and reduces the controllers’ workload. The operational implementation of this tool will represent a major milestone on the path towards airspace optimisation and will allow the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority to efficiently manage the expected increase in air traffic generated by the FIFA World Cup 2022.

ENAV, the Italian Air Navigation Service Provider, will support Leonardo by familiarising Qatari air traffic controllers with the new Distance Based Separation Management concept and operating methods. ENAV will also validate the concept and requirements with Real-Time Simulations of the target systems. Finally, experienced, operational ENAV personnel will support the operational validation on site and deliver initial training for Qatari air traffic controllers.

This partnership between Leonardo and ENAV will deliver enormous value for the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority. The project will exploit both Leonardo’s technological excellence in the field of ATC Systems - which have been operational at HIA since the airport was opened, flawlessly supporting air traffic management in Qatar throughout the Covid-19 pandemic - and ENAV’s outstanding expertise in the fields of air traffic management operations and services, development and validation of concepts, system prototypes and procedures for the continuous improvement of ATC operational performance.