The Air Navigation and Weather Services, CAA, MOTC (Hereinafter referred to as ANWS) aims at improving the air traffic safety and the service quality of the Taipei Flight Information Region (Taipei FIR) and attaining the organization's goal to become the best air traffic service provider in the Asia-Pacific region. The major administration plans are as follows:
Inaugurated in 1990, ANWS' Songshan, Hualien, and Taitung terminal radars are now exceeding their service lifecycle while facing manufacturing shortages for spare parts and components with rising costs for maintenance and repair. To ensure air traffic service quality and operational integrity of airports within Taipei Flight Information Region (Taipei FIR), ANWS plans to replace the existing radars with new models equipped with Mode S functions, which will improve detection efficiency and positioning accuracy. The implementation of the new radars will ensure that ANWS's aircraft surveillance technology complies with international standards.
This project began its implementation in 2020 and is expected to be completed in 2024 with a budget of NTD724,860,000.
To improve Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport's surface detection capabilities and to address aircraft taxiing movement obscurity due to buildings, ANWS plans to construct a second Surface Movement Radar (SMR) in the south of Runway 05R/23L, between Taxiways S3 and S4. Implementing the latest Surface Movement Radar technologies will ensure the airport's surface detection ability is in line with international standards, while further enhancing radar coverage will improve the operational safety for aircraft and vehicle movements.
This project will be implemented between 2022 and 2023 with a NTD68,245,000 budget.
Since 1998, ANWS began deploying ADS-B systems throughout Taipei FIR. 11 ADS-B ground receiving stations (Datunshan, Cingcyuangang Airport, Kinmen Airport, Kaohsiung Songshan, Taitung Airport, Hualien Airport, Sandiaojiao, Nangan Airport, Penghu Airport, Kinmen Taiwu Mountain and Kinmen Jinsha) and 2 remote control and monitoring systems (located in the North and South Air Traffic Service parks) were deployed as one of the surveillance signal sources for our Air Traffic Management System (ATMS).
However, with ADS-Bs approaching the end of its life cycle, ANWS plans to build new ones and introduce newer surveillance technology to ensure surveillance technology in our region accommodates new international standards. Furthermore, to improve the capability of monitoring low-altitude aircraft in the East Rift Valley area, ANWS also plans to construct three ADS-B ground stations in Hualien Wuhe, Taitung Chishang, and Ludao.
This project will be implemented between 2022 and 2023 with a budget of NTD74,924,000.
To provide advanced and extensive air traffic services in Taipei FIR, ANWS inaugurated the Air Traffic Management System (ATMS) back in 2011. However, in response to system hardware inevitably approaching the end of its lifecycle while various new international standards have been developed, ANWS initiated the ATMS Mid-Life Upgrade (MLU) project that replaced hardware, adopted new and crucial software functions, and upgraded system interfaces between 2019 and 2021. The ATMS MLU is capable of operating independently without affecting the original ATMS and has completed its final acceptance in November 2021.
The MLU transition project planning began in 2021, which included forming the transition workgroup, implementing integration testing, personnel training, and drawing up transition procedures. The MLU is expected to come into operation seamlessly in mid-2022 to meet air traffic control operational needs and to accommodate Taipei FIR's anticipated traffic volume growth for the next ten years.
Various forms of cyber-attack events have increased in recent years, including targeted social engineering attacks, ransomware, and confidential information leaks. Governments around the world are actively allocating significant resources to prevent information security incidents, serious economic loss or affect national safety. As the provider of our region's air traffic services, not only does ANWS shoulder the responsibility of ensuring air navigation efficiency and flight safety, but we should also actively propose corresponding information security protection measures. To achieve our goal of progressively strengthening information security, ANWS has drawn up the “Information Security Enhancement Roadmap” for the next six years:
Main goals of the roadmap are as follows:
Situated between Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport's Terminal 1 and Terminal 2, the New Air Traffic Control Tower was inaugurated on December 16th, 2019, replacing the old tower which has been operational since 1979. With the airport's ongoing expansion and the third runway's slated completion in 2030, the ATC Tower will need to further optimize its visual requirements of the maneuvering areas while accommodating future traffic growth. To achieve this goal, ANWS has been planning to construct a second ATC tower between Runway 05L/23R and the future third runway, providing more comprehensive air traffic control services while equipping both towers with contingency operational capabilities.
In accordance with the airport's third runway construction, ANWS launched the Second Tower Construction Preliminary Plan in 2021. The project aims to thoroughly address objectives, schedules, and budget plans while determining the second tower's optimal location, structural parameters, and related air traffic service facilities. Furthermore, ANWS will also evaluate implementation strategies, conduct risk assessment and management while the construction preliminary proposal has already been completed and slated for funding submission in 2023.
Continue Air Traffic Controller recruitment and training to cope with air traffic volume recovery in the future:
To adhere to national development policies, diversify the use of UAS, and meet national defense exercises' needs, ANWS will assist in ensuring smooth operations for various airspace activities:
In order to continuously improve flight safety and the quality of aeronautical meteorological services, ANWS promotes Advanced Operational Aviation Weather System Renewal and Update (AOAWS-RU) which is based on the needs of aeronautical meteorological operations of the Taipei Flight Information Region (FIR) from 2021 to 2024. It aims to build a new aeronautical meteorological system to welcome the new generation of aeronautical meteorological operations and service methods. The implementation goals of this plan are as follows:
The key work in 2022 is as follows:
To ensure flight safety and improve service quality, ANWS deployed Automated Weather Observing Systems (AWOS) throughout our region's airports, including Taitung and 7 outlying islands (Qimei, Wangan, Kinmen, Beigan, Nangan, Green island, and Lanyu), based on the “Airport Meteorological Equipment Setting Operational Guideline”. Due to the AWOS equipment approaching the end of its lifecycle, a replacement project has been planned to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the weather observation system, while providing more stable weather information.
The four-year replacement project has an NTD140 million budget and will be carried out between 2021 and 2024, with Qimei and Wangan's replacement being 2022's primary task.
ANWS' Aeronautical Information Services System (AISS) has been providing online AIS services since 2011. It was the first full-scale system that enabled the automatic handling of Flight Plans (FPL) and NOTAMs (Notices to Airmen/ Air Missions), as well as the provision of Pre-flight Information Bulletin (PIB) in Taipei FIR. Its AES website is an integrated AIS system that provides a platform for aviation personnel with functions such as online flight plan filing, pre-flight briefing, NOTAM proposal, and NOTAM query and weather information.
In accordance with ICAO's transition plan from AIS to Aeronautical Information Management (AIM), ANWS is also planning a new AIS system to continue our effort in providing quality AIS services and to accommodate the latest international standards and specifications, ensuring that the timeliness, integrity, and accuracy of the AIS system are upheld. The new AIS system implementation plan has been approved by CAA on July 23rd, 2021.
In order to draft up requirement specifications referencing ICAO standards and commercial off-the-shelf suppliers' service proposals, ANWS has set up the New AIS system Working Group. Tender documents, such as the statement of work for the new AIS system and requirements of technical specification…etc., will be ready in 2022 and open for public perusal.
The new AIS system implementation is expected to be completed between 2023 and 2024. We aspire to bring about a highly competent AIS system that ensures information security and conforms to ICAO specifications while catering to the customized needs of aviation users. In addition, with automatization, digitalization, and graphic display features, we hope the new system will strengthen AIS service quality and further enhance flight safety.
In cooperation with the “Kaohsiung International Airport Taxiway System Improvement Project”, ANWS plans to implement the “Procurement for Increasing and Replacing Navigation Lighting for Kaohsiung Airport Taxiways”. Upon completion, Kaohsiung Airport will have two additional rapid taxiways and a spare set of taxiway lighting system. Aside from improving runway efficiency, the taxiway center lights and signboards will also be replaced with LED lighting, contributing to energy and environmental conservation while enhancing air traffic service quality.
To ensure radio communication quality and maintain equipment operational integrity, ANWS will replace 84 sets of radios for ATC units in Taoyuan airport, Kaohsiung airport, and North ATS Park in 2022, improving communication reliability between Air Traffic Controllers and pilots. In addition, ANWS will replace the microwave communication system between Kaohsiung airport and the Shou Shan communication engine room to ensure Remote Communication Air-Ground (RCAG) and air navigation service quality of Kaohsiung airport.