AirNav to Spend Rp2.6t, Mostly on Technology Automation

AirNav to spend Rp2.6t, mostly on technology  automation. State-owned air navigation firm AirNav Indonesia is investing Rp2.6 trillion this year to improve air navigation facilities, including by having more advanced technology and new control towers.

AirNav Indonesia president director Novie Riyanto said at a press briefing recently the investment would be used to finance a total of 290 AirNav programs in all airports across Indonesia. The company plans to upgrade and modernize their software, tools and equipment for navigation, automation, communication and surveillance, as well as to build towers and other support facilities.

“Recently, we invested a lot in technology to keep up to date with airplane technology. Thus, we plan to invest most this year in automation software that can be used by air traffic controllers [ATC] to control air traffic to [make it] safer, more efficient,” said Novie.

AirNav plans to invest the most, Rp1.1 trillion, 44 percent of the total, in automation. Novie said automation is significant for air navigation today because air traffic is getting denser.

“Automation could really help ATC control airplane traffic, especially in areas with crowded airspaces, such as Cengkareng [Soekarno-Hatta International Airport], Bali and Surabaya [East Java],” said Novie.

AirNav also plans to upgrade and rejuvenate the Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast systems at several airports and to upgrade the Advanced-Surface Movement Guidance and Control System at the Ngurah Rai International Airport in Bali. 

The company is to use 30 percent, Rp779.7 billion, of the total investment to finance the construction of towers and support facilities. Meanwhile, 10 percent, Rp260.4 billion, is to be spent on communication equipment. Moreover, other posts such as surveillance, navigation, mechanical and electrical to get Rp222 billion (9 percent), Rp113.5 billion (4 percent) and Rp71.4 billion (3 percent), respectively.

Novie said this year there would be new ATC towers built in several areas such as at the New International Yogyakarta Airport (NYIA) in Yogyakarta, as well as in Surakarta, Banjarmasin, Wamena, Palu, Silangit, Bengkulu, Letung, Muara Teweh, Dekai, Ilaga and Sintang.

“As we know, the government is currently boosting the development of airports across Indonesia and we should make sure that our towers will be there,” said Novie.

Most of the investments are to go to Java, Sumatra and Papua. AirNav is to invest Rp1.65 trillion through 74 programs on Java, Rp259.3 billion through 69 programs on Sumatra and Rp245.5 billion through 45 programs in Papua.

AirNav is to invest more this year than in 2018, when it invested Rp1.9 trillion. Novie said the increased investment followed a gradual growth of the air traffic AirNav served in the last few years.

In 2018, the firm recorded traffic involving 2.4 million planes, up from 2.2 million in 2017 and 1.8 million in 2016.

The company’s 2018 revenues were the main source for the 2019 investments. In 2018, the firm recorded a Rp320 billion net profit and Rp3.2 trillion in revenues. AirNav to spend Rp 2.6t, mostly on technology automation  (Riza Roidila Mufti, The Jakarta Post)