Abu Dhabi, 16th March 2009 (WAM): The General Civil Aviation Authority of UAE (GCAA) has hosted a training programme in Air Traffic Services (ATS) Message Handling System AMHS international link between 10 13th March 2009 in the GCAA Headquarter in Abu Dhabi.

The Training was organized by the General Civil Aviation Authority UAE and attended by Air Traffic Controllers of Oman Civil Aviation Authority.

Aeronautical Fixed Telecommunications Network (AFTN) has supported Aeronautical communications for many years. New requirements have emerged alongside new technology and there is now a desire to transmit diagrams, weather maps and other attachments, which AFTN does not support.

Other industries have moved away from simple text based systems adding to the argument that AFTN is now becoming obsolete, difficult to maintain and replace and can no longer fulfill the evolving requirements.

Therefore, UAE Migrated from AFTN to Aeronautical Message Handling System (AMHS) and the aim of this Training Program is to establish the connection to the neighboring country to have the ultimate use of the new technology.

On 13th March, UAE and Oman became the First in the Middle East and Asia and second in the world to establish such a link successfully.

The reasons for change were aimed to increase the air traffic and create a critical requirement for the aeronautical community to enhance its ground data communications. To meet this requirement by means of up to date technology, ICAO has specified the Aeronautical Telecommunications Network. As far as ground to ground communications are concerned, the ATN aims at replacing the existing networks based on AFTN and CIDIN.

Therefore there are several reasons to start to consider upgrades to the existing ATS messaging systems: AFTN is becoming obsolete (In terms of cost and availability of support and replacement systems) and not suitable for the ICAO plan for the ATN. Many systems are now over forty years old.

The new ICAO requirement for an ATS Message Handling System is based on the industry standard X400 protocol, not AFTN.

CIDIN hardware will soon be unsupportable (cost and availability of parts).

Euro Control has recommended the setting up of an IP network for the European region. This may prove to be the structure that other Regions follow? A growing need to provide graphical information as part of a message. Weather maps, for example, are seen as a key development in aeronautical messages.

Saif Mohammed Al Suwaidi, Director General of the General Civil Aviation Authority, welcomed in his office the Omani trainees and team of the German training company Comsoft and congratulated them on the achievement, and said "It is necessary to cope with the increase of air traffic movements"Hassan Karam, Director Air Navigation Service Department, said: "This moment is the beginning and we looking into link or service to Europe and Asia to get the ultimate use of such service".

Copyright Emirates News Agency (WAM) 2009.