MENA region ensuring optimum air traffic control performance

“The Middle East is one of the most dynamic aviation markets in the world expanding from 5 percent of international traffic to 10 percent in the past seven years. But we are not immune to the global recession,” said Dr. Majdi Sabri, regional vice president for IATA in the Middle East North Africa. “Airlines in this region will lose US$200 million in 2009 as traffic growth slows dramatically. In this environment, every cent counts and both aviation and the environment can no longer afford a wasteful air traffic control system.”

International Quality and Productivity Center (IQPC), the global provider of tailored, industry-driven conferences, will be addressing major challenges and issues, from airspace congestion and the safety of ATC operations at the Air Traffic Control (ATC) Optimization Summit Middle East 2009 – a four-day summit with an exclusive two-day conference – an essential two days of interactive workshops.

The region’s Air Traffic Control Optimization Summit will be held from October 4 to 7, 2009 at Sheraton Dubai Creek Hotel & Towers, Dubai, with the participation of regional and global experts from the world’s leading organizations in air traffic control and air traffic management. This exclusive event is supported by Metron Aviation, Schmid Telecom, DFS Deutsche Flugsicherung GmbH, Entry Point North, NATS, Czech Air Navigation Institute (CANI), Arabian Aerospace, Air Traffic Management, and Aviation Middle East.

The aviation industry in the Middle East has seen a rapid expansion in international traffic growth in recent years. However, in the current economic climate, the aviation market simply can’t afford wasteful air traffic control systems and industry leaders need to ensure optimum levels of air traffic control performance.

Zuzana Laukova, project director of Transport IQ, IQPC Middle East said: “The 4-day ATC Optimization Summit Middle East 2009 gives aviation leaders an opportunity to meet key regional and international decision makers to exchange knowledge and return to the office with fresh perspectives and strategies to optimize air traffic control in a constrained environment.”

This summit delivers critical information to senior decision-makers and officials from airlines and aviation companies, ANSPs, government agencies, civil aviation authorities, military representatives, and regulators, tackling issues related to airspace management, airspace congestion, military/civil coordination, air traffic controllers’ training programs, and technologies for optimizing air traffic control.

Other topics covered include optimizing airspace in a constrained environment, outlining airspace congestion, dealing with high-density traffic areas, overcoming the challenges of the shortage of air traffic controllers, setting up a unified training unit in the region, assessing institutional and technology issues to handle ATC practices more efficiently, and progressively achieving improved military/civil coordination in air traffic management.

Delegates will be addressed and discussions will be facilitated by those at the top of their field, including representatives from the UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation, ICAO, IATA, FAA, Arab Air Carriers Organization, Emirates, Fujairah International Airports, Etihad Airways, Airways New Zealand, Abu Dhabi Airports Company, Dubai International Airport, DFS, NATS, Eurocontrol, and Mitre Corporation.