The new airspace design at Tân Son Nhat International Airport, Ho Chi Minh’s main airport, entered into service on 10 October supported by NAVBLUE.
NAVBLUE designed new performance-based navigation (PBN) standard instrument departures (SIDs) and standard arrival routes (STARs). NAVBLUE also resectorised the terminal manoeuvring area (TMA) and a sector neighbouring the TMA in order to improve capacity through shorter and more predictable tracks and through reduced separation (3-5 NM in the TMA, 5-10 NM at the TMA entry) while maintaining safety.
PBN approaches will be introduced in December, adding additional predictability and redundancy in case of unavailability of the instrument landing system (ILS).
NAVBLUE conducted extensive training of the controllers on site to ensure they could operate the new design and to enable a smooth entry into service as controllers began to familiarise themselves with point merge and the new en-route transition.
The project launched in December 2016 and will end in 2020 with the introduction of an update to the airspace of Nai Bài International Airport – Hanoi’s main airport – by June that year.
The four key airlines in Vietnam are all mostly Airbus operators, so the cooperation project with the Vietnam Air Traffic Management Corporation (VATM, Vietnam’s air navigation service provider), is key to ensuring that safety is maintained and that there is room for growth. Ho Chi Minh – Hanoi is the seventh busiest route in the world and both are the two busiest airports in Vietnam.
“The successful introduction of this new airspace concept of operations was made possible thanks to a cross-functional team, with validation of the concept in a simulation environment and thanks to the active participation of our partners in VATM,” said Florent Lucas, head of airspace at NAVBLUE.
“We are pleased to have introduced a modernised airspace for Ho Chi Minh City working with NAVBLUE and we look forward to doing the same for Hanoi,” said Pham Viet Dung, chairman of VATM.
