KUALA LUMPUR: Works on the new Kuala Lumpur Air Traffic Control Centre (KL ATCC) at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), Sepang, is on track to be completed by March 2019.
Upon completion, the new KL ATCC will feature a new air traffic management system that is capable of handling an increasing number of aircraft traffic at KLIA and Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 (klia2).
Advanced Air Traffic Systems (M) Sdn Bhd (AAT), a company that provides maintenance and integrated logistics support services for air traffic control (ATC) radar and systems, is the main contractor for the RM647.06 million project.
Officials from the Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) said AAT was selected as the main contractor when the project was opened to bidders in April last year through the local open tender.
“Finmeccanica from Italy, which was named by AAT as their partner during the tender, has been appointed the main original equipment manufacturer (OEM) for this project,” said DCA officials.
Three companies took part in the tender process of the new system, with Italian company Leonardo-Finmeccanica’s subsidiary, Selex ES, winning the project.
The other two companies were France’s Thales Group and Spanish Indera Systemas.
DCA officials said all three foreign companies were considered as they were the major air traffic systems providers in the world.
They added that the companies had participated in the tender through their local partner as the main OEM during the tender as required by the government.
The government awarded two contracts under the project, which includes the main contract that costs RM594.66 million, and an independent checker consultant (ICC) with the cost of RM52.4 million.
Meanwhile, TRC Synergy Bhd was also included as the sub-contractor for the civil works of the new centre by AAT.
In March, TRC Energy secured RM88 million sub-contracts to undertake several projects at KLIA and other locations via its subsidiary, Trans Resources Corp.
The sub-contract includes building an air traffic control centre and associated works at KLIA and other locations.
To recap, the government had allocated RM700 million in the 2014 Budget for the construction of a new air traffic control management centre — to be the new home for the KL ATCC in Subang.
The new centre will enhance KLIA’s competitiveness as a regional aviation hub as the existing centre in Subang has been operating for 20 years and faces challenges in technology upgrade, director-general of Civil Aviation Malaysia Datuk Sri Azharuddin Abdul Rahman was quoted as saying in February 2014.
Selex ES has been partnering with AAT on the maintenance and
integrated logistic support ser-
vices for air traffic control (ATC) radar and systems.
In 1994, the firm, which has been operating in Malaysia for about 20 years, won a contract to supply primary and secondary radars for airports in Kuching, Kota Kinabalu, Johor Bharu, Labuan, Langkawi and Sepang.
Selex ES, which was then known as Alenia-Marconi, also upgraded Malaysia’s civil aviation radar network in 1999. The company then changed its name to Selex Sistemi Integrati in 2009 and won the RM128.4 million ATC system contract for the National Air Traffic Control Centre from the government.