Thales S.A. , trading as Thales Group ( French pronunciation: [talɛs] ) is a French multinational corporation specialized in the design, development, manufacturing and support of electronic systems as well as devices and equipment for the aerospace , defence , security and transportation sectors. The company is headquartered in Paris ' business district, La Défense , and its stock is listed on Euronext Paris .
119-644: NATS Holdings , formally National Air Traffic Services and commonly referred to as NATS , provides en-route air traffic control services to flights within the UK flight information regions and the Shanwick Oceanic Control Area . It also provides air traffic control services to 14 UK airports. The company's en-route business is regulated and operated under licence from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). The organisation
238-581: A public-private partnership was proposed. This was written into the Transport Act 2000 and in 2001 51% of NATS was transferred to the private sector. However, due to the decline in air traffic following the September 11, 2001 attacks £130m of additional investment was required, £65m coming each from the UK government and BAA , which received 4% of the company in return. As a public-private partnership
357-477: A ' Flight Information Service ', which is similar to flight following. In the United Kingdom, it is known as a 'basic service'. En-route air traffic controllers issue clearances and instructions for airborne aircraft, and pilots are required to comply with these instructions. En-route controllers also provide air traffic control services to many smaller airports around the country, including clearance off
476-451: A 'Single European Sky', hoping to boost efficiency and gain economies of scale. The primary method of controlling the immediate airport environment is visual observation from the airport control tower. The tower is typically a tall, windowed structure, located within the airport grounds. The air traffic controllers , usually abbreviated 'controller', are responsible for separation and efficient movement of aircraft and vehicles operating on
595-761: A 50-50 joint venture with the global French defense contractor. The joint venture, based in South Korea , would be led by a CEO appointed by Samsung Electronics and will take over the entire defense business that Samsung Electronics has been conducting, which employed 697 people and generated sales of KRW 163.1 billion (US$ 134.5 million) the previous year. The new company would now market Samsung Electronics' defense communication equipment, satellite communication systems and terminals , fire control systems , radar guidance equipment including detection and tracking devices, and gunner's sights; and would begin overseas exports through Thomson's sales network. Samsung stated that
714-400: A bordering terminal or approach control). Terminal control is responsible for ensuring that aircraft are at an appropriate altitude when they are handed off, and that aircraft arrive at a suitable rate for landing. Not all airports have a radar approach or terminal control available. In this case, the en-route centre or a neighbouring terminal or approach control may co-ordinate directly with
833-433: A certain airport or airspace becomes a factor, there may be ground 'stops' (or 'slot delays'), or re-routes may be necessary to ensure the system does not get overloaded. The primary responsibility of clearance delivery is to ensure that the aircraft has the correct aerodrome information, such as weather and airport conditions, the correct route after departure, and time restrictions relating to that flight. This information
952-416: A controller can review the last radar returns from the aircraft to determine its likely position. For an example, see the crash report in the following citation. RAS is also useful to technicians who are maintaining radar systems. The mapping of flights in real-time is based on the air traffic control system, and volunteer ADS-B receivers. In 1991, data on the location of aircraft was made available by
1071-555: A cumulative nine months on strike between 2004 and 2016. Thales Group The company was previously known as Thomson-CSF since its foundation in 1968. It was rebranded Thales (named after the Greek philosopher Thales [talɛs] pronounced as in French ) in 2000, after a communication audit highlighted Thomson-CSF's unfavorable public image, particularly among the young French graduates it sought to recruit. The new name
1190-400: A distance of 100 nautical miles (185 kilometres; 115 miles). Terminal controllers are responsible for providing all ATC services within their airspace. Traffic flow is broadly divided into departures, arrivals, and overflights. As aircraft move in and out of the terminal airspace, they are 'handed off' to the next appropriate control facility (a control tower, an en-route control facility, or
1309-432: A large airspace area, they will typically use long-range radar, that has the capability, at higher altitudes, to see aircraft within 200 nautical miles (370 kilometres; 230 miles) of the radar antenna. They may also use radar data to control when it provides a better 'picture' of the traffic, or when it can fill in a portion of the area not covered by the long range radar. In the U.S. system, at higher altitudes, over 90% of
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#17327729280401428-414: A large amount of data being available to the controller. To address this, automation systems have been designed that consolidate the radar data for the controller. This consolidation includes eliminating duplicate radar returns, ensuring the best radar for each geographical area is providing the data, and displaying the data in an effective format. Centres also exercise control over traffic travelling over
1547-578: A major manufacturer of military equipment such as smokeless gunpowder and the Bushmaster IMV . In April 2006, Thales announced it would acquire Alcatel 's space business (67% of Alcatel Alenia Space and 33% of Telespazio ) and Alcatel's Rail Signalling Solutions division, in a deal which raised Alcatel's ownership of Thales to 21.66 percent. The French government would also decrease its ownership in Thales to 27.1 percent from 31.3 percent as part of
1666-425: A major technical incident that caused severe delays. It occurred on the busiest day of the year. The incident lasted approximately 3 hours, however this caused knock-on delays. 790 flights departing UK airports and 785 flights arriving into UK airports were cancelled, representing about 27% of all flights. The following day at least 281 flights were cancelled. Air traffic control Air traffic control ( ATC )
1785-417: A map of the area, the position of various aircraft, and data tags that include aircraft identification, speed, altitude, and other information described in local procedures. In adverse weather conditions, the tower controllers may also use surface movement radar (SMR), surface movement guidance and control system (SMGCS), or advanced surface movement guidance and control system (ASMGCS) to control traffic on
1904-613: A member of the SESAR Deployment Alliance, a cross-industry partnership made up of four airline groups, operators of 25 airports and 11 air traffic control providers. The SESAR Deployment Alliance was appointed to the role of SESAR Deployment Manager by the European Commission in December 2014 and will help to co-ordinate and synchronise the modernisation of Europe's air traffic management system. NATS
2023-746: A new area control centre into service at the London Area Control Centre (LACC) at Swanwick in Hampshire, relieving a busy suburban centre at West Drayton in Middlesex, north of London Heathrow Airport . Software from Lockheed-Martin predominates at the London Area Control Centre. However, the centre was initially troubled by software and communications problems causing delays and occasional shutdowns. Some tools are available in different domains to help
2142-472: A number of airlines, particularly in Europe, have started using alphanumeric call signs that are not based on flight numbers (e.g. DLH23LG, spoken as Lufthansa -two-three-lima-golf , to prevent confusion between incoming DLH23 and outgoing DLH24 in the same frequency). Additionally, it is the right of the air traffic controller to change the 'audio' call sign for the period the flight is in his sector if there
2261-510: A radar control facility that is associated with that specific airport. In most countries, this is referred to as terminal control and abbreviated to TMC; in the U.S., it is referred to as a 'terminal radar approach control' or TRACON. While every airport varies, terminal controllers usually handle traffic in a 30-to-50-nautical-mile (56 to 93 km; 35 to 58 mi) radius from the airport. Where there are many busy airports close together, one consolidated terminal control centre may service all
2380-774: A range of short-range missile systems such as the Starstreak surface-to-air missile or Lightweight Multi-role Missile (LMM). In 2022, during the Russian invasion of Ukraine , major arms manufacturers, including Thales, reported a sharp increase in interim sales and profits. The Thales ATM (Air Traffic Management) solution is marketed under the name "TopSky", previously named "EuroCat". Thales supplies avionics to civil aircraft manufacturers, including Fly-By-Wire systems, cockpit systems, navigation computers, satellite communication, inflight entertainment and electrical systems. The coordination of Thales parts' servicing and maintenance
2499-428: A seamless manner; in other cases, local agreements may allow 'silent handovers', such that the receiving centre does not require any co-ordination if traffic is presented in an agreed manner. After the hand-off, the aircraft is given a frequency change, and its pilot begins talking to the next controller. This process continues until the aircraft is handed off to a terminal controller ('approach'). Since centres control
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#17327729280402618-531: A service provider, NATS should be operated at some distance from its regulator, the CAA. Although debated, it was decided that NATS should not be privatised at that time. NATS was re-organised into a limited company on 1 April 1996 and became a wholly owned subsidiary of the CAA. The direct involvement of military officers in the management of NATS ended at this time, although the last military Controller, Air Marshal Sir Thomas Stonor, KCB, had retired in 1991. In 1998,
2737-520: A single hole in a line of thunderstorms. Occasionally, weather considerations cause delays to aircraft prior to their departure as routes are closed by thunderstorms. Much money has been spent on creating software to streamline this process. However, at some ACCs, air traffic controllers still record data for each flight on strips of paper and personally coordinate their paths. In newer sites, these flight progress strips have been replaced by electronic data presented on computer screens. As new equipment
2856-480: A study that compared stress in the general population and this kind of system markedly showed more stress level for controllers. This variation can be explained, at least in part, by the characteristics of the job. Surveillance displays are also available to controllers at larger airports to assist with controlling air traffic. Controllers may use a radar system called secondary surveillance radar for airborne traffic approaching and departing. These displays include
2975-786: A subsidiary of Thales, and Dominique Monleau alleged that Thales has a centralised slush fund that it uses to bribe officials. On 30 May 2005 Schabir Shaik , the financial advisor to Jacob Zuma , the deputy president of the African National Congress party, was found guilty by the High Court in Durban of organising a bribe on behalf of Thomson-CSF . On 22 January 2020, the KwaZulu-Natal High Court in Pietermaritzburg ruled that both
3094-451: A target by interrogating the transponder, the ADS-B equipped aircraft 'broadcasts' a position report as determined by the navigation equipment on board the aircraft. ADS-C is another mode of automatic dependent surveillance, however ADS-C operates in the 'contract' mode, where the aircraft reports a position, automatically or initiated by the pilot, based on a predetermined time interval. It
3213-415: A two or three letter combination followed by the flight number such as AAL872 or VLG1011. As such, they appear on flight plans and ATC radar labels. There are also the audio or radio-telephony call signs used on the radio contact between pilots and air traffic control. These are not always identical to their written counterparts. An example of an audio call sign would be 'Speedbird 832', instead of
3332-419: A unique callsign ( Mode S ). Certain types of weather may also register on the radar screen. These inputs, added to data from other radars, are correlated to build the air situation. Some basic processing occurs on the radar tracks, such as calculating ground speed and magnetic headings. Usually, a flight data processing system manages all the flight plan related data, incorporating, in a low or high degree,
3451-827: Is a founding member of two of Europe's leading ANSP Alliances – the A6 Alliance and the Borealis Alliance . The A6 is an alliance of some of the main European Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSPs). Its aim is to help drive the modernisation of the European ATM network within the SESAR programme for the benefit of customers. The A6 members are full members of the SESAR Joint Undertaking and are part of
3570-541: Is a risk of confusion, usually choosing the aircraft registration identifier instead. Many technologies are used in air traffic control systems. Primary and secondary radars are used to enhance a controller's situational awareness within their assigned airspace; all types of aircraft send back primary echoes of varying sizes to controllers' screens as radar energy is bounced off their skins, and transponder -equipped aircraft reply to secondary radar interrogations by giving an ID ( Mode A ), an altitude ( Mode C ), and / or
3689-508: Is a service provided by ground-based air traffic controllers who direct aircraft on the ground and through a given section of controlled airspace , and can provide advisory services to aircraft in non-controlled airspace. The primary purpose of ATC is to prevent collisions, organize and expedite the flow of traffic in the air, and provide information and other support for pilots. Personnel of air traffic control monitor aircraft location in their assigned airspace by radar , and communicate with
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3808-416: Is a wide range of capabilities on these systems as they are being modernised. Older systems will display a map of the airport and the target. Newer systems include the capability to display higher-quality mapping, radar targets, data blocks, and safety alerts, and to interface with other systems, such as digital flight strips. Air control (known to pilots as tower or tower control ) is responsible for
3927-510: Is also coordinated with the relevant radar centre or flow control unit and ground control, to ensure that the aircraft reaches the runway in time to meet the time restriction provided by the relevant unit. At some airports, clearance delivery also plans aircraft push-backs and engine starts, in which case it is known as the ground movement planner (GMP): this position is particularly important at heavily congested airports to prevent taxiway and aircraft parking area gridlock. Flight data (which
4046-464: Is also possible for controllers to request more frequent reports to more quickly establish aircraft position for specific reasons. However, since the cost for each report is charged by the ADS service providers to the company operating the aircraft, more frequent reports are not commonly requested, except in emergency situations. ADS-C is significant, because it can be used where it is not possible to locate
4165-402: Is brought in, more and more sites are upgrading away from paper flight strips. Constrained control capacity and growing traffic lead to flight cancellation and delays : By then the market for air-traffic services was worth $ 14bn. More efficient ATC could save 5-10% of aviation fuel by avoiding holding patterns and indirect airways . The military takes 80% of Chinese airspace, congesting
4284-407: Is coordinated by its MRO division; OEMServices , which handles the repair flow for component maintenance support. In November 2017, Thales acquired a UK radar provider called Aveillant which produces software-defined holographic radar technology, which can detect small targets such as drones. In February 2018, Thales won on a A$ 1.2 billion ($ 946 million) contract with Airservices Australia and
4403-593: Is involved in the construction of both the Horizon and FREMM programs. Thales, as Thomson-CSF, was involved in the Taiwan frigates scandal , relating to the sale of La Fayette -class frigates to Taiwan. It is also present in Eurosam as Thomson-CSF was a founder of the consortium along with Aérospatiale and Alenia Aeronautica . In February 2004, Thales was awarded a contract for a new command and control system for
4522-518: Is required to have clearance from ground control. This is normally done via VHF / UHF radio, but there may be special cases where other procedures are used. Aircraft or vehicles without radios must respond to ATC instructions via aviation light signals , or else be led by official airport vehicles with radios. People working on the airport surface normally have a communications link through which they can communicate with ground control, commonly either by handheld radio or even cell phone . Ground control
4641-480: Is responsible for the airport movement areas, as well as areas not released to the airlines or other users. This generally includes all taxiways, inactive runways, holding areas, and some transitional aprons or intersections where aircraft arrive, having vacated the runway or departure gate. Exact areas and control responsibilities are clearly defined in local documents and agreements at each airport. Any aircraft, vehicle, or person walking or working in these areas
4760-438: Is routinely combined with clearance delivery) is the position that is responsible for ensuring that both controllers and pilots have the most current information: pertinent weather changes, outages, airport ground delays / ground stops, runway closures, etc. Flight data may inform the pilots using a recorded continuous loop on a specific frequency known as the automatic terminal information service (ATIS). Many airports have
4879-1028: Is stated to be launched in 2023. In Turkey, the Thales team delivered the first High Speed Line in the country in 2009, and has completed more than 400 km (250 mi) of the Ankara Istanbul High Speed Line. Effective 31 May 2024, the ground transportation division was sold off to Hitachi Rail . The deal was made at $ 2.5 billion. Thales is also a major manufacturer of in-flight entertainment systems on board airliners. Thales' primary competitors in this area of business include Panasonic Avionics Corporation and Rockwell Collins . Thales also produces and installs ticketing and communications systems for public transportation via its ticketing and revenue collection division. In November 2016, Thales announced its intention to divest from its transport ticketing, revenue collection, road toll and car park management business. The company entered into negotiations with Paris-based Latour Capital, but
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4998-546: Is the only facility with radio or phone coverage. The first airport traffic control tower, regulating arrivals, departures, and surface movement of aircraft in the US at a specific airport, opened in Cleveland in 1930. Approach / departure control facilities were created after adoption of radar in the 1950s to monitor and control the busy airspace around larger airports. The first air route traffic control center (ARTCC), which directs
5117-606: Is the position that issues route clearances to aircraft, typically before they commence taxiing. These clearances contain details of the route that the aircraft is expected to fly after departure. Clearance delivery, or, at busy airports, ground movement planner (GMP) or traffic management coordinator (TMC) will, if necessary, coordinate with the relevant radar centre or flow control unit to obtain releases for aircraft. At busy airports, these releases are often automatic, and are controlled by local agreements allowing 'free-flow' departures. When weather or extremely high demand for
5236-466: Is vital to the smooth operation of the airport because this position impacts the sequencing of departure aircraft, affecting the safety and efficiency of the airport's operation. Some busier airports have surface movement radar (SMR), such as ASDE-3, AMASS, or ASDE-X , designed to display aircraft and vehicles on the ground. These are used by ground control as an additional tool to control ground traffic, particularly at night or in poor visibility. There
5355-581: The Australian Department of Defence to unify Australia's civil and military airspace under a single air traffic control system , named "OneSKY". Thales has major involvement in the UK rail industry as a result of the Racal merger and the 2006 acquisition of Alcatel's Rail Signalling Solutions division and transport business. Thales is to modernize 40 per cent of London Tube network London Underground . In Denmark, Thales now owns 100% of
5474-872: The Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation (CANSO), an international association of companies that provide air traffic control services. NATS is a shareholder in European Satellite Services Provider (ESSP), a company set up to operate the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS). NATS is primarily known for the air traffic services it provides in the UK but also works internationally providing air traffic and consultancy services in over 30 countries, working with many different organisations in Europe and beyond, including Singapore,
5593-903: The Federal Aviation Administration to the airline industry. The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA), the General Aviation Manufacturers Association, the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, the Helicopter Association International, and the National Air Transportation Association, petitioned the FAA to make ASDI information available on a 'need-to-know' basis. Subsequently, NBAA advocated
5712-526: The Ministry of Defence (MoD), via Qinetiq , for air traffic and range air control services at a number of UK ranges, including: NATS also provides services to the MoD's Military Aviation Authority . Aberdeen NSL provides air traffic services on behalf of NERL to offshore helicopters operating primarily from Aberdeen, Shetland ( Sumburgh ), Humberside Airport , Norwich Airport and North Denes. NATS helps
5831-733: The pilots by radio . To prevent collisions, ATC enforces traffic separation rules, which ensure each aircraft maintains a minimum amount of 'empty space' around it at all times. It is also common for ATC to provide services to all private , military , and commercial aircraft operating within its airspace; not just civilian aircraft. Depending on the type of flight and the class of airspace, ATC may issue instructions that pilots are required to obey, or advisories (known as flight information in some countries) that pilots may, at their discretion, disregard. The pilot in command of an aircraft always retains final authority for its safe operation, and may, in an emergency, deviate from ATC instructions to
5950-503: The "East-west Consortium" contracted for a nationwide travel card (Danish: " Rejsekort "). In India, Thales was selected in December 2014 by the New Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) to deliver a completely automatic fare collection system, as well as ticketing equipment. Thales has also been contracted by Hyderabad Metro Rail since 2017 to provide train control automation and communication services for
6069-508: The CAA or MoD. Until its establishment as a separate company, the leadership of NATS (the "Controller") alternated between civil and military, the latter normally a serving air marshal . The first controller was Sir Laurence Sinclair , exceptionally a retired air vice marshal . NATS staff were drawn from and paid by, the CAA and the MoD . In 1992 it was recognised by the Government that as
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#17327729280406188-531: The EU called for a 'Digital European Sky', focusing on cutting costs by including a common digitisation standard, and allowing controllers to move to where they are needed instead of merging national ATCs, as it would not solve all problems. Single air-traffic control services in continent-sized America and China does not alleviate congestion. Eurocontrol tries to reduce delays by diverting flights to less busy routes: flight paths across Europe were redesigned to accommodate
6307-876: The EU-supported projects Thales participates in are: The company's design won the competition for the Royal Navy Future Carrier (CVF) . It is part of the AirTanker consortium, the winning bid for the RAF's Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft . Thales UK won the contract for the British Army UAV programme, Watchkeeper . It also produces the SWARM remote weapon station . Thales simulators include full motion devices as well as flat panels and other training facilities. Thales Air Defence produces
6426-665: The French Navy, the SIC 21, that will be fitted on the Charles de Gaulle, many vessels and shore locations. Additionally, the initially planned French aircraft carrier PA2 involved Thales as the main designer of the ship. However, the project was cancelled in 2013. Thales is also working on X-ray imaging, finances, energy and operating commercial satellites. By 2012, the company is mainly composed of five branches: Defense, Security, Space, Aerospace and Ground transportation. Among
6545-518: The London airspace was restricted due to a computer system failure at NATS. At 15:30 an announcement was made by Eurocontrol that "There has been a failure of the flight data computer server at London ACC [area control centre]." At 16:30 the airspace was reopened, however it remained restricted with some landing flights being turned away. NATS reported that the failure was due to a single faulty line of software source code. On 28 August 2023 NATS suffered
6664-473: The SESAR Deployment Alliance, which was recently appointed SESAR Deployment Manager by the European Commission. The Borealis Alliance is an alliance of Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSPs). The Alliance includes the ANSPs of Denmark, Estonia , Finland , Iceland , Ireland, Latvia , Norway, Sweden and the UK. The Borealis Alliance is currently working on a major programme to deliver free route airspace across
6783-584: The Thales Group and Zuma could be criminally tried for alleged illegal arms dealings which Thales was allowed to undergo in South Africa. Zuma is said to have allowed these illegal Thales arms dealings when he was the nation's deputy president and is also believed to have partaken in them as well. On 10 June 2011, Thales Group and the French government were ordered to pay 630 million euros (almost
6902-407: The U.S. airspace is covered by radar, and often by multiple radar systems; however, coverage may be inconsistent at lower altitudes used by aircraft, due to high terrain or distance from radar facilities. A centre may require numerous radar systems to cover the airspace assigned to them, and may also rely on pilot position reports from aircraft flying below the floor of radar coverage. This results in
7021-492: The U.S., TRACONs are additionally designated by a three-digit alphanumeric code. For example, the Chicago TRACON is designated C90. Air traffic control also provides services to aircraft in flight between airports. Pilots fly under one of two sets of rules for separation: visual flight rules (VFR), or instrument flight rules (IFR). Air traffic controllers have different responsibilities to aircraft operating under
7140-461: The UK (largely as a result of the Racal acquisition) has resulted in several high-profile contracts. Thales has offices in: As of June 2024, Thales' major shareholders are the French state (26.06%) and Dassault Aviation (26.05%). A High Court case decided in 2012 between Thales (supplier of Greater Manchester's tram management system) and Transport for Greater Manchester (TGM) considered
7259-600: The UK armed forces. It will modernise ATM at over 100 MoD locations, in the UK and overseas, including more than 60 airfields and ranges. Aquila is tasked to deliver a system-wide modernisation and rationalisation of the current fragmented system, and establish a flexible ATM service which is future-proofed to meet potential changes in the regulatory and technological landscape. Engineering services NATS provides include: Services provided by NATS include: The London Air Traffic Control Centre at RAF West Drayton opened in 1966 and provided ATC services until it closed in 2007, with
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#17327729280407378-463: The UK government holds 49% and a golden share , with 42% held by the Airline Group, 5% by NATS staff, and 4% by UK airport operator LHR Airports Ltd. The workforce of NATS includes air traffic controllers (ATCOs), air traffic control engineers (ATCEs), air traffic services assistants (ATSAs) and science technical analytical and research staff (STARs). Administrative and support staff make up
7497-603: The United States and Qatar . From 15 to 20 April 2010, under internationally agreed guidelines that require a zero tolerance approach to ash, NATS placed a series of restrictions on aircraft operating in UK controlled airspace owing to the potential dangers caused by a volcanic ash cloud from the eruption of Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajökull , in cooperation with the Met Office, CAA and UK government. On 12 December 2014, from 15:30 until 16:30, traffic flow throughout
7616-651: The acquisition. The deal would also include the Systems Integration activities (those not dedicated to telecoms operators, and covering mainly the transport and energy sectors). In January 2007, the 1.7 billion Euro deal ($ 2.24 billion) was approved. In 2008, Thales acquired British Hardware security module vendor nCipher. In December 2008, Alcatel agreed to sell a 20.8% stake in French engineering group Thales SA to Dassault Aviation SA for €1.57 billion ($ 2.27 billion). In 2014, Alcatel-Lucent initiated talks to sell its cybersecurity unit to Thales. The deal
7735-465: The active runway surfaces. Air control gives clearance for aircraft takeoff or landing, whilst ensuring that prescribed runway separation will exist at all times. If the air controller detects any unsafe conditions, a landing aircraft may be instructed to ' go-around ', and be re-sequenced into the landing pattern. This re-sequencing will depend on the type of flight, and may be handled by the air controller, approach, or terminal area controller. Within
7854-471: The air by holding over specified locations until they may be safely sequenced to the runway. Up until the 1990s, holding, which has significant environmental and cost implications, was a routine occurrence at many airports. Advances in computers now allow the sequencing of aircraft hours in advance. Thus, aircraft may be delayed before they even take off (by being given a 'slot'), or may reduce speed in flight and proceed more slowly thus significantly reducing
7973-468: The air controllers aware of the traffic flow towards their runways to maximise runway utilisation through effective approach spacing. Crew resource management (CRM) procedures are often used to ensure this communication process is efficient and clear. Within ATC, it is usually known as 'team resource management' (TRM), and the level of focus on TRM varies within different ATC organisations. Clearance delivery
8092-900: The air traffic control system are primarily related to the volume of air traffic demand placed on the system, and weather. Several factors dictate the amount of traffic that can land at an airport in a given amount of time. Each landing aircraft must touch down, slow, and exit the runway , before the next aircraft crosses the approach end of the runway. This process requires at least one, and up to four minutes for each aircraft. Allowing for departures between arrivals, each runway can thus handle about 30 aircraft arrivals per hour. A large airport with two arrival runways can handle about 60 arrivals per hour in good weather. Problems arise when airlines schedule more arrivals into an airport than can be physically handled, or when delays elsewhere cause groups of aircraft – that would otherwise be separated in time – to arrive simultaneously. Aircraft must then be delayed in
8211-454: The air, a ground delay programme may be established, delaying aircraft on the ground before departure due to conditions at the arrival airport. In Area Control Centres, a major weather problem is thunderstorms , which present a variety of hazards to aircraft. Airborne aircraft will deviate around storms, reducing the capacity of the en-route system, by requiring more space per aircraft, or causing congestion, as many aircraft try to move through
8330-412: The aircraft approaches its destination, the centre is responsible for issuing instructions to pilots so that they will meet altitude restrictions by specific points, as well as providing many destination airports with a traffic flow, which prohibits all of the arrivals being 'bunched together'. These 'flow restrictions' often begin in the middle of the route, as controllers will position aircraft landing in
8449-481: The aircraft operator, and identical call sign might be used for the same scheduled journey each day it is operated, even if the departure time varies a little across different days of the week. The call sign of the return flight often differs only by the final digit from the outbound flight. Generally, airline flight numbers are even if east-bound, and odd if west-bound. In order to reduce the possibility of two call signs on one frequency at any time sounding too similar,
8568-490: The airports. The airspace boundaries and altitudes assigned to a terminal control centre, which vary widely from airport to airport, are based on factors such as traffic flows, neighbouring airports, and terrain. A large and complex example was the London Terminal Control Centre (LTCC), which controlled traffic for five main London airports up to an altitude of 20,000 feet (6,096 metres) and out to
8687-578: The amount of holding. Air traffic control errors occur when the separation (either vertical or horizontal) between airborne aircraft falls below the minimum prescribed separation set (for the domestic United States) by the US Federal Aviation Administration. Separation minimums for terminal control areas (TCAs) around airports are lower than en-route standards. Errors generally occur during periods following times of intense activity, when controllers tend to relax and overlook
8806-470: The broad-scale dissemination of air traffic data. The Aircraft Situational Display to Industry ( ASDI ) system now conveys up-to-date flight information to the airline industry and the public. Some companies that distribute ASDI information are Flightradar24 , FlightExplorer, FlightView, and FlyteComm. Each company maintains a website that provides free updated information to the public on flight status. Stand-alone programmes are also available for displaying
8925-528: The centre provides a clearance. Centre controllers are responsible for issuing instructions to pilots to climb their aircraft to their assigned altitude, while, at the same time, ensuring that the aircraft is properly separated from all other aircraft in its immediate area. Additionally, the aircraft must be placed in a flow consistent with the aircraft's route of flight. This effort is complicated by crossing traffic, severe weather, special missions that require large airspace allocations, and traffic density. When
9044-503: The competition for the Royal Navy Future Carrier (CVF) , and the company now participates in an alliance company with BAE Systems and the United Kingdom's Ministry of Defence . Thales Navigation, a division that produced satellite navigation units, was sold to private equity group Shah Capital Partners in 2006 for $ 170 million and renamed Magellan . In 2006, Thales acquired Australian Defence Industries ,
9163-603: The controller further: In the United States, some alterations to traffic control procedures are being examined: In Europe, the Single European Sky ATM Research (SESAR) programme plans to develop new methods, technologies, procedures, and systems to accommodate future (2020 and beyond) air traffic needs. In October 2018, European controller unions dismissed setting targets to improve ATC as "a waste of time and effort", as new technology could cut costs for users but threaten their jobs. In April 2019,
9282-472: The different sets of rules. While IFR flights are under positive control, in the US and Canada, VFR pilots can request 'flight following' (radar advisories), which provides traffic advisory services on a time permitting basis, and may also provide assistance in avoiding areas of weather and flight restrictions, as well as allowing pilots into the air traffic control system prior to the need to a clearance into certain airspace. Throughout Europe, pilots may request
9401-598: The equivalent term air route traffic control center. Each centre is responsible for a given flight information region (FIR). Each flight information region typically covers many thousands of square miles of airspace, and the airports within that airspace. Centres control IFR aircraft from the time they depart from an airport or terminal area's airspace, to the time they arrive at another airport or terminal area's airspace. Centres may also 'pick up' VFR aircraft that are already airborne, and integrate them into their system. These aircraft must continue under VFR flight rules until
9520-575: The extent required to maintain safe operation of the aircraft. Pursuant to requirements of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), ATC operations are conducted either in the English language, or the local language used by the station on the ground. In practice, the native language for a region is used; however, English must be used upon request. In 1920, Croydon Airport near London, England,
9639-523: The following provides a general concept of the delegation of responsibilities within the air traffic control tower environment. Remote and virtual tower (RVT) is a system based on air traffic controllers being located somewhere other than at the local airport tower, and still able to provide air traffic control services. Displays for the air traffic controllers may be live video, synthetic images based on surveillance sensor data, or both. Ground control (sometimes known as ground movement control , GMC)
9758-432: The geographic location of airborne instrument flight rules (IFR) air traffic anywhere in the FAA air traffic system. Positions are reported for both commercial and general aviation traffic. The programmes can overlay air traffic with a wide selection of maps such as, geo-political boundaries, air traffic control centre boundaries, high altitude jet routes, satellite cloud and radar imagery. The day-to-day problems faced by
9877-427: The ground and clearance for approach to an airport. Controllers adhere to a set of separation standards that define the minimum distance allowed between aircraft. These distances vary depending on the equipment and procedures used in providing ATC services. En-route air traffic controllers work in facilities called air traffic control centres, each of which is commonly referred to as a 'centre'. The United States uses
9996-408: The information of the track once the correlation between them (flight plan and track) is established. All this information is distributed to modern operational display systems , making it available to controllers. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has spent over US$ 3 billion on software, but a fully automated system is still yet to be achieved. In 2002, the United Kingdom commissioned
10115-571: The infrastructure for a radar system (e.g., over water). Computerised radar displays are now being designed to accept ADS-C inputs as part of their display. This technology is currently used in portions of the North Atlantic and the Pacific by a variety of states who share responsibility for the control of this airspace. 'Precision approach radars' (PAR) are commonly used by military controllers of air forces of several countries, to assist
10234-505: The joint venture company Armaris with the French shipbuilder DCN to offer a total "bottom up" shipbuilding capability. Also in 2002, Thales Broadcast Multimedia, a former subsidiary of Thales, provided China with standard short-wave radio-broadcasting equipment designed for general public radio broadcasting . Though the contract was not for this purpose, it later appeared that China used these ALLISS antennas for jamming foreign radio broadcasts to China. In 2003, Thales UK's design won
10353-424: The last three numbers (e.g. three-four-five for N12345). In the United States, the prefix may be an aircraft type, model, or manufacturer in place of the first registration character, for example, 'N11842' could become 'Cessna 842'. This abbreviation is only allowed after communications have been established in each sector. Before around 1980, International Air Transport Association (IATA) and ICAO were using
10472-517: The manoeuvring area (taxiways and runways). The areas of responsibility for tower controllers fall into three general operational disciplines: local control or air control, ground control, and flight data / clearance delivery. Other categories, such as airport apron control, or ground movement planner, may also exist at extremely busy airports. While each tower may have unique airport-specific procedures, such as multiple teams of controllers ( crews ) at major or complex airports with multiple runways,
10591-460: The metro in Hyderabad . In 2014, the company was tasked with equipping the public transport system of Bordeaux , France, with a contactless ticketing and revenue collection system, to be installed by February 2017. However, due to delays, the system is not expected to be operational until 2019. In Singapore, Thales was involved in a train collision resulting from a compatibility issue between
10710-427: The military around the world share airspace with civil aviation for commercial, political and environmental reasons. Services NATS provides include: Aquila is a joint venture between NATS and Thales responsible for delivering the UK's Marshall program to transform terminal air traffic management at military airfields. Marshall seeks to ensure a safe, efficient and sustainable air traffic management (ATM) service for
10829-992: The move to Swanwick. Scottish air traffic control has been carried out from Atlantic House in Prestwick since 1978. This situation changed with the opening of the Prestwick Centre in 2010, to which all operational services were transferred from the old Atlantic House along with the functions carried out at the Manchester Area Control Centre which subsequently closed. NATS, through its airports service line, established an alliance with Spanish partner Ferrovial in 2011, forming FerroNATS, which provides air traffic control (ATC) services at nine airports across Spain: Alicante , Valencia , Ibiza , Sabadell , Sevilla , Jerez , Melilla , Madrid Cuatro Vientos, Vigo and A Coruña airports in Spain. FerroNATS
10948-465: The movement of aircraft between departure and destination, was opened in Newark in 1935, followed in 1936 by Chicago and Cleveland. Currently in the US, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) operates 22 Air Route Traffic Control Centers . After the 1956 Grand Canyon mid-air collision , killing all 128 on board, the FAA was given the air-traffic responsibility in the United States in 1958, and this
11067-418: The negotiations ended in 2017 after Latour Capital announced this business was "not aligned closely enough with its investment priorities." After subsequent talks with Chinese investors failed, Thales abandoned the divestment. Thales' international subsidiaries generated 52% of the company's revenue in 2008, with Thales UK being the largest of these accounting for 13% of group revenue. Its large presence in
11186-530: The new airport in Istanbul, which opened in April, but the extra capacity will be absorbed by rising demand for air travel. Well-paid jobs in western Europe could move east with cheaper labour. The average Spanish controller earn over €200,000 a year, over seven times the country average salary, more than pilots, and at least ten controllers were paid over €810,000 ($ 1.1m) a year in 2010. French controllers spent
11305-624: The old signalling system's interface, and the new one. The accident resulted in 38 minor injuries. A similar incident would occur in March 2019 in Hong Kong on the Tsuen Wan line . In Vietnam, the company was awarded a €265 million contract in 2017 to deliver the telecommunications system for the currently constructed Line 3 of the Hanoi metro. Running behind schedule by one year, the metro line
11424-469: The operation of an audit clause in a contract, and the extent to which a supplier must comply with this. Thales had submitted claims for increased costs and for extensions to the time allowed for delivery of the system. TGM made various requests for documents intended to better help assess their claims. The Court instructed Thales to supply the requested documents. Although the ticketing system in Bordeaux
11543-438: The overall capacity for any given route. The North Atlantic Track system is a notable example of this method. Some air navigation service providers (e.g., Airservices Australia, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, Nav Canada , etc.) have implemented automatic dependent surveillance – broadcast (ADS-B) as part of their surveillance capability. This newer technology reverses the radar concept. Instead of radar 'finding'
11662-482: The pilot in final phases of landing in places where instrument landing system and other sophisticated airborne equipment are unavailable to assist the pilots in marginal or near zero visibility conditions. This procedure is also called a 'talk-down'. A radar archive system (RAS) keeps an electronic record of all radar information, preserving it for a few weeks. This information can be useful for search and rescue . When an aircraft has 'disappeared' from radar screens,
11781-544: The presence of traffic and conditions that lead to loss of minimum separation. Beyond runway capacity issues, the weather is a major factor in traffic capacity. Rain, ice , snow, or hail on the runway cause landing aircraft to take longer to slow and exit, thus reducing the safe arrival rate, and requiring more space between landing aircraft. Fog also requires a decrease in the landing rate. These, in turn, increase airborne delay for holding aircraft. If more aircraft are scheduled than can be safely and efficiently held in
11900-799: The remainder of the 4,200 or so employees of NATS. Martin Rolfe became CEO of NATS in May 2015. NATS is split into two main service provision companies: NATS En-Route PLC (NERL) and NATS Services Ltd (NSL). In 2019 NATS handled 2.54m flights. There are two control locations in the UK operated by NERL: Various radar stations are operated around the UK, one such being that on Great Dun Fell in Cumbria. The airports service line provides air traffic services at 16 UK airports: NATS has also won contracts to provide air traffic control engineering services at certain airports including: NATS also provides services to
12019-400: The same destination so that when the aircraft are close to their destination they are sequenced. As an aircraft reaches the boundary of a centre's control area, it is 'handed off' or 'handed over' to the next area control centre . In some cases, this 'hand-off' process involves a transfer of identification and details between controllers so that air traffic control services can be provided in
12138-550: The same two-letter call signs. Due to the larger number of new airlines after deregulation, the ICAO established the three-letter call signs as mentioned above. The IATA call signs are currently used in aerodromes on the announcement tables, but are no longer used in air traffic control. For example, AA is the IATA call sign for American Airlines ; the ATC equivalent is AAL. Flight numbers in regular commercial flights are designated by
12257-418: The taxiways and runways of the airport itself, and aircraft in the air near the airport, generally 5 to 10 nautical miles (9 to 19 kilometres ; 6 to 12 miles ), depending on the airport procedures. A controller must carry out the job using the precise and effective application of rules and procedures; however, they need flexible adjustments according to differing circumstances, often under time pressure. In
12376-418: The thin corridors open to airliners. The United Kingdom closes its military airspace only during military exercises. A prerequisite to safe air traffic separation is the assignment and use of distinctive call signs . These are permanently allocated by ICAO on request, usually to scheduled flights , and some air forces and other military services for military flights . There are written call signs with
12495-452: The tower on the airport and vector inbound aircraft to a position from where they can land visually. At some of these airports, the tower may provide a non-radar procedural approach service to arriving aircraft handed over from a radar unit before they are visual to land. Some units also have a dedicated approach unit, which can provide the procedural approach service either all the time, or for any periods of radar outage for any reason. In
12614-432: The tower, a highly disciplined communications process between the air control and ground control is an absolute necessity. Air control must ensure that ground control is aware of any operations that will impact the taxiways, and work with the approach radar controllers to create gaps in the arrival traffic; to allow taxiing traffic to cross runways, and to allow departing aircraft to take off. Ground control needs to keep
12733-429: The two parent companies also intended to combine their respective areas of competitive advantage to jointly develop and sell next-generation products. In June 2001, Thales formed ThalesRaytheonSystems , an equal-ownership joint venture with Raytheon combining their radar and communication systems divisions. It was restructured in 2016 to sell exclusively to NATO agencies and member states. In 2002, Thales set up
12852-582: The whole of Northern Europe by 2020. Since the 1940s, the Irish and UK air traffic control service providers have worked effectively together. This was further strengthened in July 2008 when the UK and Ireland launched the first operational Functional Airspace Block , often referred to in the industry as FAB, under the European Commission 's Single European Sky initiative. NATS is a full member of
12971-557: The world's ocean areas. These areas are also flight information regions (FIRs). Because there are no radar systems available for oceanic control, oceanic controllers provide ATC services using procedural control . These procedures use aircraft position reports, time, altitude, distance, and speed, to ensure separation. Controllers record information on flight progress strips , and in specially developed oceanic computer systems, as aircraft report positions. This process requires that aircraft be separated by greater distances, which reduces
13090-496: The written 'BAW832'. This is used to reduce the chance of confusion between ATC and the aircraft. By default, the call sign for any other flight is the registration number (or tail number in US parlance) of the aircraft, such as 'N12345', 'C-GABC', or 'EC-IZD'. The short radio-telephony call signs for these tail numbers is the last three letters using the NATO phonetic alphabet (e.g. ABC, spoken alpha-bravo-charlie for C-GABC), or
13209-769: Was also meant to facilitate the company's worldwide expansion. Thales is partially owned by the French state and operates in more than 56 countries. In 2019 it had 80,000 employees and generated €18.4 billion in revenue. As of 2017, it was the 8th largest defence contractor in the world with 55% of its total sales from military work. Patrice Caine was appointed chairman and CEO in December 2014. The firm began as Compagnie Française Thomson-Houston (CFTH), established in 1893. In 1968 Thomson-Brandt (a renamed CFTH) merged its electronics arm with that of Compagnie générale de la télégraphie sans fil (CSF) to form Thomson-CSF , which changed its name to Thales in December 2000. In October 1999, Samsung Electronics announced
13328-469: Was awarded the contract to provide services at these airports through a competitive tender process run by the Spanish aviation authority, AENA. All nine operational handovers were completed between November 2012 and January 2014. In February 2023 FerroNATS was sold to Portobello Capital and renamed Skyway. NATS is a full member of the Single European Sky ATM Research (SESAR) joint undertaking , and
13447-607: Was completed in December 2023. Thales Group supplies electronic devices and equipment used by the French Armed Forces from its past as Thomson-CSF, including the SPECTRA helmet for the army and the gendarmerie . It has worked with Dassault Aviation on the Dassault Rafale aircraft and made its SPECTRA defensive aids. Thales often worked with DCNS and designed the electronics used on French ships, and it
13566-507: Was created in 1922, after World War I, when the U.S. Post Office began using techniques developed by the U.S. Army to direct and track the movements of reconnaissance aircraft . Over time, the AMRS morphed into flight service stations . Today's flight service stations do not issue control instructions, but provide pilots with many other flight related informational services. They do relay control instructions from ATC in areas where flight service
13685-702: Was followed by other countries. In 1960, Britain, France, Germany, and the Benelux countries set up Eurocontrol , intending to merge their airspaces. The first and only attempt to pool controllers between countries is the Maastricht Upper Area Control Centre (MUAC), founded in 1972 by Eurocontrol, and covering Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and north-western Germany. In 2001, the European Union (EU) aimed to create
13804-462: Was originally due for launch in the summer of 2017, multiple delays pushed the new launch date back by 20 months to 2019. The project's many setbacks are considered to reflect negatively on the city's reputation, with Bordeaux's city's mayor and former French prime minister Alain Juppé , calling Thales' inability to meet its commitments "unacceptable behaviour." Michel Josserand, former head of THEC,
13923-573: Was originally set up as the National Air Traffic Control Services ( NATCS ) in 1962, bringing together responsibility for the UK's existing military and civil air traffic control services. The organisation became National Air Traffic Services ( NATS ) when the responsibility for sponsoring the civil air traffic service component was transferred to the newly formed Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) in 1972. Before this it had no legal existence – all contracts were with
14042-560: Was signed in October of that year. In 2016, Thales acquired Vormetric , a data security company, for $ 400M. In 2017, it acquired Guavus and bid €4.76B for digital security company Gemalto . In 2018, Thales committed to divesting nCipher as a condition for its acquisition of Gemalto; in June 2019 it divested nCipher to Entrust . In 2023, Thales acquired cybersecurity company, Imperva , from Thoma Bravo for $ 3.6B. The acquisition
14161-415: Was the first airport in the world to introduce air traffic control. The 'aerodrome control tower' was a wooden hut 15 feet (5 metres) high with windows on all four sides. It was commissioned on 25 February 1920, and provided basic traffic, weather, and location information to pilots. In the United States, air traffic control developed three divisions. The first of several air mail radio stations (AMRS)
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