Safety is the overwhelming priority for all parties involved in the business of aviation around the world, and as part of its plan to improve security and reliability in the south region of the country, and support modern applications required for operating highly reliable services to serve rapidly growing air traffic, the Vietnam Air Traffic Management Corporation (VATM) has revealed it is to replace its legacy transport system with an advanced transport network.
The first civil aviation administration of Vietnam came into life in 1956, and VATM was formed in 1993 to provide air navigation services in the flight information regions of Vietnam.
VATM’s main responsibility is to provide air navigation services for all civil and military aircrafts (as delegated) operating at airports across the nation, within the flight information regions under control of Vietnam and other airspace when authorised. These services include air traffic control services; flight information services; advisory services and alerting services; communication, navigation and surveillance services; aeronautical information services; aeronautical meteorological services; and search and rescue services.
The two flight information regions of which VATM is responsible, Ha Noi and Ho Chi Minh FIRs, cover an area of airspace up to 1,098,516 square kilometres, including 36 international and 24 domestic ATS routes, and seven international and 14 domestic airports. Among those are some the county’s busiest airports – Tan Son Nhat and Noi Bai, in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi.
In the period to 2030, VATM’s objective is to develop into a large-scale enterprise, meeting air traffic control requirements of reliable service quality, as well as ensuring the utmost safety for all flights operating in its area of responsibilities. By this time, it aims to be able to provide air navigation services services for triple the number of flights managed in 2010.
The modernisation will see VATM replace a legacy synchronous digital hierarchy with Nokia IP/MPLS technology designed for aviation. This is intended to provide an advanced transmission system to Ho Chi Minh City’s Air Traffic Control Centre, which will deliver mission critical applications to enhance Air Traffic Control. The newly upgraded transport network will be compliant with the International Civil Aviation Organisation’s standard, and is set to be operational in the second quarter of 2025.
“Air traffic networks need to be exceptionally secure and reliable at all times to ensure the highest standards of safety are met,” said Ho Sy Tung, deputy general director at VATM. “Nokia comes with extensive experience in air navigation, with 20 air traffic control networks deployed worldwide. We are impressed by the quality and performance of Nokia’s IP/MPLS networking solution and are looking forward to the successful completion of this crucial initiative in the coming year.”
Nokia said its service offers VATM advanced network capabilities such as advanced analytics, simplifying operations and improving network performance. The IP/MPLS network also has the objective of delivering increased flexibility and programmability, supporting critical applications that enhance overall air traffic management efficiency and safety.
In addition, Nokia is confident that the Quantum-Safe Network (QSN)-ready infrastructure will provide unparalleled security and reliability to VATM and the ability to evolve to defend against quantum threats.
“Our mission-critical network solutions are trusted worldwide, delivering exceptional performance and reliability,” added Jonathan Goh, head of enterprise business and network infrastructure for Southeast Asia North at Nokia. “With embedded QSN capabilities, Nokia’s IP/MPLS technology will enhance the safety and operational efficiency of Vietnam’s air traffic network.”
