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Avinor improves radar coverage in Oslo Fjord area
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Source: Avinor
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02/12/2009
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On Sunday 29 November Avinor brought the new radar in Stokke municipality in Vestfold County into use. The radar will rationalize traffic in the Oslo Fjord area, ensure improved continuity for passengers and contribute towards the reaching the goal of zero growth in emissions from Norwegian aviation.
The airports surrounding the Oslo Fjord are currently served mainly by the radar at Haukåsen north of Oslo. It is almost seventeen years since this radar was updated. If the Haukåsen radar were to experience technical problems, it could lead to major disruptions in air traffic.
”The new radar is one of several important features in the work on reorganizing the airspace over the Oslo Fjord area in order to increase capacity and reduce restrictions in the airspace, and also to ease and rationalize the approach and take-off at Torp and Rygge,” says Sverre Quale, Avinor Group CEO.
The radar in Stokke is one of a total of six radars that are currently under construction in order to ensure full radar coverage in sections of mainland Norway as well as improved coverage offshore. This will provide opportunities for increased capacity in the future, with shorter flying times and fewer delays. In addition, the radar will contribute towards complying with Civil Aviation Authority requirements of redundant radar coverage for airports in Norway.
The radar also contributes towards reaching the goal of zero growth in emissions of greenhouse gases from Norwegian aviation towards 2020, even with significant growth in traffic.
“The radar will contribute towards shorter flying times an less waiting through more efficient approach and take-off procedures. This is what is colloquially termed green landings and take-offs,” says Quale.
It is approximately 20 months since the first ground was broken for the construction of a new radar facility at Kihlåsen in Stokke municipality.
Thorough planning led to the choice of Kihlåsen. In order to ensure a clear line of sight, the radar naturally had to be placed at a relatively high elevation. At the same time, Avinor wanted to minimize disturbance to the terrain, and therefore sought for a positioning that to the best possible degree satisfied local interests and the stringent security requirements. It was also important that the radar structure was designed in a way that adapted to its surroundings as well as possible.
“The new radar represents a boost for aviation in the Oslo Fjord area. It will ensure continuity in aviation into the future and contribute towards competitive aviation services in the region,” says Quale.
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» Hamdi Chaouk, Director General of Civil Aviation – Lebanon
