Page 19 - AAA JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2012 Online Magazine

Singapore

the controller’s reach.
Seletar Airport currently operates a
visual runway; pilots can only land at
the airport if they have a clear view of
the runway. The airport is therefore not
able to receive aircraft in bad weather.
The new control tower and an ILS that
will be installed in 2014 will enable
Seletar Airport to handle all-weather
flight operations.
The airport will be able to receive
aircraft in poor visibility or inclement
ST Aerospace has its freighter con- the upgrading works. We look forward weather conditions any time of the day,
version facility at Seletar, so 757s are to their ongoing support as we contin- thereby enhancing its operational ca-
not infrequent visitors to this far flung ue to improve the airport’s infrastruc- pability.
corner of the island. However, up to ture,” said Lim Ching Kiat, General Relocated to its new premises adja-
now there have been operational re- Manager, Seletar Airport. cent to the new control tower, the air-
strictions on take offs and landings Seletar Airport was the first airbase port’s fire station has also undergone a
due to the runway length. “This exten- built in Singapore. Some of its infra- significant upgrade. The new fire sta-
sion will pre-position Seletar Airport structure and facilities date back to tion enhances the Airport Emergency
and Singapore for future growth of the pre-World War II. In 2007, the SAP proj- Service’s (AES) capability to respond
aerospace industry.” noted Lui. ect was launched, with Seletar Airport swiftly to crisis situations. The nerve
“Seletar Airport is the backbone of to be upgraded into a modern airport. centre of AES’ operations, also known
SAP, providing the connectivity to the Upgrading and redevelopment as the Watchroom, is now positioned
region needed to spur the growth of the works commenced in 2008. The en- to achieve better situational awareness,
SAP community. The successful com- hancements included a longer runway, with a clearer surveillance view of the
pletion of key infrastructure develop- a new control tower and fire station, runway and aircraft movement areas.
ments at Seletar Airport will enhance double the number of parking stands, The station’s Fire Alarm Monitoring
its operational efficiency and strength- additional taxiways, upgraded aircraft System has also been enhanced to in-
en its capabilities, thereby delivering parking aprons and an Instrument corporate a crash display system, which
better services to meet the needs of Landing System (ILS). improves AES’ response time to any
airport users,” said Lee Seow Hiang, The extension of the runway from aircraft incidents at Seletar Airport.
Chief Executive Officer of CAG. 1592 metres to 1836 metres, an addition The airport’s business aviation sector
“The modernisation of Seletar Air- of about 250 metres, was completed is also slated to grow - having achieved
port, as part of the SAP, will enable the in September 2011. The extended run- a compound growth rate of 21% from
airport to support the aerospace ac- way enables Seletar Airport to support 2007 to 2010. “Despite the global eco-
tivities being set up but also increased larger jet operations as well as heavier nomic uncertainty, its growth pros-
business aviation activities in Singa- take-off loads expected with the grow- pects in the Asia-Pacific region remain
pore. A key element is the air naviga- ing business aviation sector. robust - Bombardier has predicted that
tion services (ANS)facilities. Built to in- Following this, the new control tow- business jet penetration in the region
ternational standards, the new Seletar er on the east side of the runway was will surge by almost three times from
Control Tower and other ANS facilities completed. The old control tower was current levels over the next 20 years.
will enhance the air traffic manage- built before World War II. The new con- Seletar Airport is poised to ride on the
ment capacity and capabilities at the trol tower has increased capacity and growth of business aviation due to the
airport,” Yap Ong Heng, Director-Gen- capability for the provision of air traffic privacy and convenience it provides to
eral, CAAS, said. services. users,” said Lui.
“The achievement of Seletar Air- The air traffic controllers are provid- “As such, the airport operations
port’s key project milestones bears tes- ed with more ergonomically designed and passenger facilitation will also
timony to the strong working relation- workstations that enable them to mul- be further enhanced. This will enable
ship between CAG and all our airport titask more effectively. The worksta- Singapore to have a modern and dedi-
partners. We would like to thank our tion can be easily customised for each cated airport to host business aviation
airport partners at Seletar, as well as controller’s specific role, and panels are activities and to tap on the opportuni-
airport and SAP tenants, for their coop- arranged in an intuitive layout with the ties and growth of the business avia-
eration and understanding throughout most-often-used equipment closest to tion community.”

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www.AsianAirlines-Airports.com January/February 2012 ASIAN AIRLINES & AIRPORTS