Shaikh Hazza opens new air navigation centre

Abu Dhabi: Shaikh Hazza Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, National Security Adviser, on Saturday opened the Dh300-million Shaikh Zayed Air Navigation Centre in Abu Dhabi.

The state-of-the -art centre, an affiliate of the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) which is the sole authority for the control and regulation of civil aviation in the UAE,  is responsible for the provision of en-route air navigation services and all aspects of flight safety.

The centre, designed and built using the world's latest cutting-edge technologies, was opened in the presence of Lieutenant general Shaikh Saif Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, a number of shaikhs and senior officials.

The state-of-the-art Dhs300m facility is the largest and busiest air traffic management facility in the Middle East as well as one of the world's most technically advanced centres in terms of its design.

It provides the safe and efficient handling of inbound and outbound air traffic which has increased significantly over the last five years as a result of the UAE's growing importance as a strategic business and leisure destination on the regional and international stage.

The Centre comprises two main buildings - the main ATCC and the emergency ATCC -housing 76 working positions for live aircraft control, military liaison and emergency cum training roles. This represents a tripling of the previous facility's capacity.

The Main ATCC building has a 600 sq metre air traffic control (ATC) room with sufficient sector suites equipped with the latest technology to accommodate traffic growth for the next 20 years or a total traffic volume exceeding 2 million annual movements. It is furnished with the very latest, next generation industry technology.