Taiwan spends NT$170 million on aviation information services upgrade

台灣斥資1.7億新台幣升級航空資訊服務

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Civil Aviation Administration allocated NT$170 million (US$5.67 million) to upgrade the aviation information services system, enhancing it with visual displays and addressing outdated software issues.

The system, launched in 2021, is linked with 93 countries and can handle flight plans, flight notices, and pre-flight information. It also provides diagrams showing airport ground movement advisories and navigation warning charts to help improve flight safety, per CNA.

Tung Chi-li (董吉利), deputy director of the administration’s Air Navigation Services Office, said that to meet global flight data system updates, the office used the budget and spent four years planning and building the upgraded system, which has been in operation since Oct. 16. The system is running smoothly and has received positive feedback from most airlines.

Before a flight departs, crews must check key information such as the destination, departure time, and restricted zones. This information was usually presented as text or numbers in the past, which made quick comparisons challenging.

Tung said the upgraded system displays the data using 2D or 3D images, assisting airlines with flight route planning and helping pilots better understand the airport runway environment. The system also provides weather forecasts and satellite cloud images.

The system handles more than 260,000 pieces of flight information each year and exchanges around 1.18 million notices annually with partner countries. To ensure reliability, it is built with dual servers, dual power supplies, and dual network connections. Off-site backups are also implemented to prevent flight disruptions in the event of a failure.

Tung added that to ensure airport staff were familiar with the ungraded system, the office launched training programs covering system security, networking, cybersecurity, document management, and risk assessment. Before the system’s launch, the office also collaborated with airlines and air traffic control authorities to conduct more than 720 hours of testing.