Alliance to boost safety at Myanmar airports

The project is designed to help improve aviation safety at Myanmar's major airports - Yangon, Mandalay, Nyaung U, Heho, Thandwe and Dawei - Sumitomo said in a statement released yesterday.

The Japanese corporation is the prime contractor for the project.

To satisfy International Civil Aviation Organisation safety standards, equipment such as Doppler VHF omnidirectional radio-range beacons and distance-measuring equipment, flight procedure design systems, various aeronautical lights, and communication control units will be supplied to improve air traffic safety.

Fire engines, X-ray screening machines, explosive-detection devices and other equipment for airport security will also be installed as necessary. The project is expected to enhance Myanmar's airports' capacity to handle the burgeoning air traffic in the region by improving the safety and reliability of air transport and establishing more efficient air routes.

Aviation demand in Myanmar has increased each year in terms of both the number of passengers and the volume of cargo. While the country's aviation sector will certainly increase in importance as Myanmar achieves greater economic development, the installation of aviation safety facilities and airport security equipment has been severely delayed.

Many local airports in particular still do not have adequate radio navigation facilities, and aircraft rely on low-precision instruments or visual contact, making it difficult to cope with sudden changes in the weather or other contingencies.

In response to a request from the Myanmar authorities, an exchange of notes took place between the governments of Myanmar and Japan on March 22 this year, with a grant agreement concluded between the Japan International Cooperation Agency and Myanmar that pledged ¥1.233 billion (Bt384 million) in official development assistance.

The Civil Aviation Bureau of Japan's Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry has also been supporting aviation infrastructure upgrades internationally since 2011 through various meetings and conferences, and medium- to long-term assistance programmes for Myanmar are expected to be started up as a result.

As prime contractor for the aviation project, Sumitomo will be responsible for overall coordination. Myanmar is positioned as one of the key business regions in the company's medium-term management plan, it said in the statement.

Distance-measuring equipment

NEC will be providing the project with distance-measuring equipment for radio measurement of distances between aircraft and aeronautical stations, while NEC Networks System Integration will develop systems for radio communications and undertaking a full spectrum of tasks in building airport/aviation security infrastructure.

Toshiba, meanwhile, will contribute by supplying three major airports - Nyaung U, Heho and Thandwe - with Doppler VHF omnidirectional radio-range beacons, the project's principal air navigation systems.

Morita will be in charge of providing aircraft rescue fire-fighting vehicles and equipment for Yangon, Dawei, Nyaung U and Heho airports. By building airport/aviation security infrastructure in Myanmar, where continued economic development is anticipated, the five Japanese corporations will work to complete the project promptly to enhance the country's infrastructure safety and reliability, Sumitomo said in its statement.

The companies also intend to cooperate in drafting proposals for upgrading aviation security infrastructure at other major local airports not covered by the project.

http://www.information.myanmaronlinecentre.com/alliance-to-boost-safety-at-myanmar-airports/