File photo used for representation only.
Doha, Qatar: Qatar is constantly seeking to enhance its operational performance in the air transport industry by benefitting from the capabilities of the national cadre.
An aviation enthusiast remarked that this eventuates in attracting national cadres who possess distinguished competencies through close cooperation and coordination between the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority (QCAA) and the Qatar Aeronautical Academy, offering air navigation with air traffic controllers and electronics hardware engineers.
In the recently published Qatar Sky Magazine 2024, Ahmed Al Ishq, Director of Air Navigation, emphasised the country’s eagerness to enhance the aviation sector and build a modern system with advanced systems.
Elaborating on the vitality of adopting a human cadre in addition to modern devices and systems, he said: “We give human resources the utmost importance, whether in terms of selection or training and refining academic and technical capabilities. We currently have more than 155 air traffic controllers, all of whom underwent a large number of training sessions and were introduced to all of the new procedures related to air navigation and the remarkable development in the civil aviation sector.”
He underscored that there is a special interest in new cadres who pursue a training period within four months to develop their professional and technical capabilities and introduce them to professional mechanisms and advanced systems for managing the atmosphere.
Al Ishq remarked that training in the field of air navigation in Qatar is of high quality due to continuous follow-up and monitoring by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
He noted that Qatar’s Hamad International Airport (HIA) is one of the “densest airports” in the region as it connects the globe with its national carrier Qatar Airways.
Elaborating on air traffic, he said HIA and Doha International Airport can accommodate 100 flight movements per hour as there is a system which permits 2-3 flights to land simultaneously at both airports contributing to increasing the capacity at runways.
“A further modern system, VGA, has also been activated recently, which relies on the visual vision of incoming aircraft and saves aircraft fuel between 150 and 155 kilograms of fuel.
“The State of Qatar is considered the first in the Middle East to use this type of system,” he said.
The Qatar Air Traffic Control Center is constantly witnessing several additions including a radio simulator, an upper airspace simulator, and a 360-degree control tower simulator.
These technologies enable air traffic controllers to enhance their capabilities. The center also features international specifications, modern technologies, and audio-visual equipment in addition to the training room for radar observers.
