The role of the Engineering Services Division is to maintain key Communication, Navigation, Surveillance and Air Traffic Management Systems (CNS/ ATM) that supports the Air Traffic Control function.

The Engineering Services Division continues to meet the expected level of service performance. Operationally, service reliability continues to be a challenge due to aging infrastructure and issues of obsolescence. The implementation of major projects has brought its own challenges as the new systems have been brought into operation, as such maintenance has continued to extend the life of a number of systems to allow for the transition to the new systems. This has stretched the department’s resources in having to maintain both old and new systems.

Focus has been on the implementation of key projects under the Modernization Program and commissioning the associated systems. Embedding the new engineering processes and procedures into the department ensuring that the operational, maintenance and regulatory requirements are met.

Department Structure

The department is made up of four (4) sub-divisions, as follows:

• Engineering Maintenance,
• Engineering Support,
• Systems Engineering and
• Standards and Compliance..

The ES division designs, installs, operates and maintains CNS/ATM systems in support of the Air Traffic Services (ATS).

The team works together to provide and maintain world class systems and services ensuring that there is minimal downtime experienced by the air traffic controllers that provide the services to the airliners both locally and internationally.

Technical Operations Centre (TOC)

NSPL monitors all its CNS/ATM systems through Remote Control and Monitoring Systems (RCMS), these are monitored in the Technical Operations Centre (TOC) on a 24/7 basis.

This has allowed for reduced service outage downtime and has been in operation for the last 18 months.. The TOC  is manned by a dedicated technical team who are responsible for the monitoring and control of systems providing Level 1 maintenance support and management of reported faults.

The TOC is important to assist ATS operations by providing a full and comprehensive technical control and monitoring capability of all relevant systems/equipment and supports the engineering  to identify, attend to and maintain registered faults effectively.

Navigational Aids and Surveillance

Navigational aids cover the equipment like DVOR, DME, AWOS and the ILS. They are used mainly for the safe navigation of the aircraft travelling within and across our airspace.

Communications

NSPL operates an extensive and sophisticated communication capability throughout the country of PNG, which includes VHF and HF, new IP radios, microwave links, Wide Area Network (WAN) and mobile phone backup.

Surveillance

We provide air surveillance services to our clients domestic and overall the PNG airspace. This has recently been enhanced by the commissioning of the new state of the art enhanced Mode-S Secondary Surveillance Radar situated at Jacksons Airport. Additionally, the team have been rolling out ADS-B receivers throughout the country and will be integration Aireon’s space based ADS-B service in 2020.

Air Traffic Management

NSPL replaced their ATM system during 2018 with a state of the art ATM system from Thales. The new system provides .

• access to flight information on screen
• fused track data from both radar and ADS-B
• tools for enhanced detection and resolution of conflicts

The new ATM system is fully installed, the operational transition to this system is in progress and should be finalized in 2020.