Air Services awards K33m contract

Caption:  (L) Australia Minister Counsellor James Hall, Comsoft CEO Manfred Schmid, Capt Pakii, Secretary for Transport Roy Mumu

By MATTHEW VARI

Sunday, March 30, 2014 (Sunday Chronicle, PNG)

AIR traffic management and safety will be vastly modernised thanks to the awarding of a K33 million (US$12 million) contracts to German company Comsoft by the Papua New Guinea Air Services (PNGAS) Limited, at their headquarters in Port Moresby on Friday.

Comsoft is specialized in Air Traffic Management (ATM) and Industrial Communication products and systems.

The contract will see Comsoft complete ATM automation, full Air Traffic Control and 3D tower control simulators.

A complete ATM system will be implemented in Port Moresby to be an international ATM hub.

The system will enable domestic airports in Madang, Hagan, Goroka, Nadzab, and Tokua to contribute to the country’s overall coverage and precise surveillance within the country’s.

It will improve air traffic control in PNG and ensure that aircraft are guided safely through the sky and on the ground.

CEO of PNGAS Capt Ted Pakii hailed the signing of the contract as a milestone in the short history of PNGAS since its formation in 2008.

“The new system will be used to deliver a world class service, which is why it took us 16 months to tender the contract to enable to pick the right product for us,” he said.

“We are confident in our product and it will enable us to have compatible services.”

He also announced the signing also of an additional US$6.5 million contract to Comsoft for the maintenance for the system for seven years after completion of the project.

Comsoft CEO Manfred Schmid, thanked the Air Services for being chosen as the supplier for the project, which he said was a prestigious undertaking.

“We are dedicated to air traffic management in Papua New Guinea,” he said.

“Papua New Guinea’s actively expanding economy calls for an expansion to the latest standards in aeronautical traffic services.”

Funding for the project have been made available through the Governments of Australia (K12.2 million) and PNG (K30.6 million) through the Transport Sector Support Program fro both the project and its maintenance.