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‘Saipan air traffic tower will be improved in 6 months’
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Posted on Dec 17 2004
Airservices Australia needs about six months before it can make specific improvements to the air traffic control tower at the Saipan International Airport.
Airservices corporate communication manager Richard Dudley said the firm, which won the multi-million contract to provide air traffic control services to various Pacific airports including Saipan International Airport, will need time to assess the operations at each airport before it can identify specific opportunities for improvements.
He estimated the assessment period to take about six months.
Airservices will keep safety as its number one priority, Dudley said.
“Maintaining and building on the safety record at all our towers is a strong focus for us,” he said.
He added that Airservices intends to develop its relationship with airline and airport customers, including the Commonwealth Ports Authority.
“We believe that our staff, management, customers, and airport operators can add value to our operations and we will be giving all our key stakeholders an opportunity to participate in the process of identifying areas for improvement,” Dudley said.
Starting Jan.1, Airservices will replace Serco as the provider of air traffic control services at the Saipan airport. Also covered by the firm’s contract with the Federal Aviation Administration are ATC towers at Guam, and Molkai, Lihue, Kona, and Kalaeloa in Hawaii.
Airservices won the five-year contract, believed to be worth $15 million, against strong competition, which included six other bidders.
Dudley said Airservices is looking at delivering services in Saipan for many years to come. As part of this long-term focus, Airservices has created a wholly owned subsidiary, Airservices Pacific Inc.
API is based in the United States and will employ staff and provide services on Saipan and the other towers on Guam and in Hawaii.
