Vietnam Air Traffic Management Centre - Accompanying Safety, Regulation and Effectiveness

 

As a State-owned public enterprise under the Vietnam Civil Aviation Administration operating in the flight management sector, we perform the major tasks of operating flights in a safe, regulated and effective manner for all civil planes operating at airports nationwide and within the flight information region the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) has assigned us to manage. We directly provide such services as air traffic control, air communication, navigation and surveillance, aviation meteorology, and air rescue services.  At the same time, we have promoted our co-operation with agencies of the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Public Security in management the Vietnamese air and ensure the safety of flights. To manage flights in a safe, regulated and effective manner is not only our target but also a vital task.

 

Our centre has always actively participated in international specialisation of flight management services, thus bringing Vietnam’s air traffic management and the local aviation industry to a new development height during international economic integration, meeting all civil transportation requirements in Southeast Asia. Since 2000, we have promoted our co-operation with air traffic management agencies of neighbouring countries. One of the initial successes of the centre was to co-operate with colleagues in neighbouring countries to manage a network of 24 international and 15 local flight routes on the East Sea and exploit the A202 flight route from Bangkok to Hanoi and vice versa. Since we applied the reduced vertical separation minimums (RVSM) for the flight information region of Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, great benefits have been earned for civil aviation activities.

 

This is partly why over the past five years our flight management activities have seen a high growth rate of between eight and 12 per cent per annum. Between 2000 and June 2005, we managed 1,071,811 flights, including over 800 special flights, earning VND 5,969.818 billion and contributing VND 3,762 billion to the budget. Compared to 2000, the number of flights managed by the centre increased by 49 per cent, its revenues rose by 51 per cent, and its budget contribution, 54 per cent.

 

Among the major projects developed by the centre, outstanding projects include the ‘Navigation system on the Hanoi flight information region and the ‘Area and approach control centre’ (AACC) at the Tan Son Nhat International Airport, scheduled to start operation in 2006 to meet the increased aviation activities on the flight information region of Ho Chi Minh City and departure and arrival flights at airports under the Southern Airport Authorities. 

 

Located at the centre of flight routes in the region, Vietnam is in a great position to exploit these services. On the other hand, Vietnam’s flight frequency is high, so investment in infrastructure development is not only our responsibility but also an opportunity to improve the prestige and benefit sharing of the Vietnam aviation industry with the regional and international communities. Therefore, one of the most important projects, which marks a breakthrough in development within a programme on upgrading the technical base for providing air traffic and other services, is the building of Ho Chi Minh City AACC, which began in 1999. The project will help serve the increased flight activities in Vietnam and the region, meeting the requirement of flight safety and the implementation of the roadmap of the Communication Navigation Surveillance/Air Traffic Management system (CNS/ATM) developed by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), in which Vietnam is a member. Among our technical equipment, the Air Traffic Management System of the Thales Group of France plays a vital role. This is one of the most modern air traffic management systems in Asia.

 

Also, we have developed many other projects, including the Son Tra (Da Nang), Vung Chua (Quy Nhon), Vinh and Ca Mau information and surveillance radar complex, navigation and landing instruction stations at the airports of Dien Bien, Cat Bi (Haiphong), Vinh, Phu Cat (Binh Dinh) and Rach Gia. More importantly, we have built navigation and landing instruction stations at the Buon Ma Thuot and Pleiku airports to ensure the safety of flights, which contribute to the air defence of the country.  

Our orientation is to continue to promote the modernisation and automation of our equipment within our development strategy throughout 2010. From now to 2020, we will gradually develop our air traffic control and other services to meet the international development tendencies, satisfying local and international carriers, exploiting domestic and international flights from and to Vietnamese airports and operating within the flight information region of Vietnam. In particular, the centre will contribute to the modernisation of the aviation technology, meeting the requirements on equipment technical services for flight management and for export. To take opportunities offered by the international integration process, we have concentrated on developing human resources, training our staff members and workers, so they will be able to master technologies to effectively use new equipment and provide high quality air traffic control services.