IFATSEA 2012 General Assembly to be held in New Delhi from September 10-14 will serve as a platform for 200 delegates from 40 countries to discuss on varied aviation-related issues

The 42nd International Federation of Air Traffic Safety Electronics Associations (IFATSEA) General Assembly to be organised by the CNS Officers’ Guild will be held from September 10-14 at the Ashok Hotel, New Delhi. The IFATSEA General Assembly 2012 would have about 500 eminent persons, professionals, manufacturers, suppliers, including 200 delegates from more than 40 countries. The assembly will give all the stakeholders in the aviation sector, the industry, manufacturers and suppliers across the globe, a platform to meet up with technical experts, key decision-makers from the aviation sector and showcase their products.

“It is an honour that India is hosting 42nd IFATSEA General Assembly. I expect that the event will draw an overwhelming response from across the globe; a lot of issues will be discussed and we may come up with some really effective solutions for some of the issues,” says V.P. Agrawal, Chairman, Airports Authority of India (AAI).

IFATSEA is the global body for the representation of ATSEPs on professional matters and brings together the professional associations of Air Traffic Safety Electronics Personnel (ATSEPs) from across the world. With more than 20,000 members from 60 countries worldwide, IFTSA members assemble every year for a general assembly organised by the member countries on behalf of IFATSEA.

About 200 ATSEPs from 40 countries or more assemble for a week every year to share technical information and to discuss and decide on important professional and organisational matters. It also serves as a dais for all the stakeholders in the aviation sector and the industry, manufacturers and suppliers, to be under one roof, share information and discuss projects, products and engineering information on modernisation of the air navigation and air traffic management engineering systems.

“The growth forecast of civil aviation in India is quite positive and the passenger traffic in India is expected to increase at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of more than 11 per cent in the next five years. AAI has drawn up the master plan for implementation of future air navigation system (FANS) for CNS-ATM, considering the trends, growth forecast and the future challenges in mind. This includes shift from voice communication to digital data communication, ground-based navigation to satellite based navigation, i.e. GAGAN - Indian SBAS, modern radar coverage with ADSB, multilateration, etc. The continuous growth in number of aircraft movements and passengers impinges upon AAI to continuously engage in research and development as an integral part of its activities to upgrade CNS/ATM systems and airport infrastructure with state-of-the-art systems. This constant endeavour for automation of CNS/ATM systems—by defining new systems, incorporating state-of-the-art proven technology in coordination with the aviation industry and in conformity with ICAO requirements and its implementation—is a constant in-house activity of AAI,” informs Agrawal.

It may be mentioned that ATSEPs are specialists in communication, navigation, surveillance (CNS) and air traffic management (ATM) engineering systems, responsible for system specification, procurement, installation, calibration, maintenance, flight testing and certification of ground electronic systems, thus controlling aircraft movements.