JOINT PRESS RELEASE

Czech airspace under the TopSky - ATC control

Operational migration to TopSky - ATC, the new generation system for air traffic control in the Czech Airspace, was successfully completed today. At the same time and after more than twenty years of operation, the previous operation system EUROCAT 2000 was decommissioned. The implementation of the new system from Thales is the prerequisite for meeting the future requirements of air carriers, especially in the area of air navigation services safety and quality.

The system migration was carried out on Tuesday February 24, 2022 during the night, without interrupting operations. At 2:00pm, CargoLogic Germany Airlines flight No. 5335 from Bratislava to Leipzig was the first flight to receive at 2:48 p.m the air traffic controller´s instructions from the new system.

By the successful end of the operational transition all activities in the area of work technology, operational coordination with neighbouring countries and system readiness has been completed. The common task of all these activities was to ensure the operational transition to the new TopSky - ATC system as well as the transition to the supplementary systems at the Czech regional airports in Brno, Ostrava and Karlovy Vary. Realisation of the supplementary systems is the result of the cooperation with the Czech industry, namely with Czechoslovak Group company.

In close cooperation with Brussels based European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation (EUROCONTROL) relevant measures were prepared for potential traffic flow regulation in the Czech airspace. The entire operational transition process has been under supervison of the Czech Civil Aviation Authority, which also issued the „Operational Certificate“ for the new system.

„Today, our company is starting to use the world’s most modern air traffic control system that has been carefully defined by our specialist in the area of air navigation services. TopSky - ATC system, which is already covering more than 40% of the world’s airspace has real ambition to be the solution for the 21st. century and at the same time ensuring the future expectations of our customers. Thanks to TopSky - ATC we are also ready to implement the goals of the European Commission within the framework of the Single European Sky project for the technical competence of the air navigation service providers and their unified certification. We made the first step in the advancing process of increasing own potential of the new system and its users experiences. The whole project is also the best proof of the Czech air traffic controllers and technical specialist professionalism.“ said Jan Klas, Director General of ANS CR.

Christian Rivierre, VP Airspace Mobility Solutions at Thales adds: „We are proud and pleased to say that the migration to TopSky - ATC has been a success. This is the result of a close and productive collaboration with our customer ANS CR. They are now equipped with the world’s leading ATC solution for en-route and approach and the very first HMI developed in JAVA, which will bring significant improvements in air traffic management: better user interface, simple, safe & secure access and higher level of automation. Congratulations to ANS CR and Thales‘ teams for the delivery of this major milestone.“

TopSky – ATC in Czech Republic related information:

• More than 2 700 users requirements
• HMI developped in JAVA
• On time delivery and implementation
• More than 36 000 hours of ATCOs and technical specialist training
• 200 kilometres of the new cables
• Complete reconstruction of the OPS room
• More than 12 000 pages of the documentation
• 126 days of testing
• 100 hours of shadow operation

TopSky radar screen