Hong Kong aviation authority orders investigation into air traffic control system after New Year’s Day hitch

Hong Kong’s aviation authority has told a contractor to investigate a brief hitch to the air traffic management system on the first day of the new year. Individual workstations of its air traffic management system were “not responsive to commands” in the morning, Civil Aviation Department said in a statement released on Wednesday. The problem prompted technical staff to switch to a fallback system identical to the original one – at 9.10am, it said.A department spokesman said there were some temporary restrictions on departing flights, but “arrivals and [flights over the region] were not affected”.

There was no risk to safety, he added.

He said the air traffic control officers were able to maintain direct voice communication with pilots at all times, as well as monitor and obtain full information of all flights within Hong Kong airspace.

The main system was rebooted, checked by the department’s technical staff then used as a backup. The ultimate fallback system was not activated during the process.

The department did not reveal how long the hitch lasted, only describing it as “brief”.

It said it had tasked the system’s contractor to conduct a thorough investigation and submit a report as soon as possible.

Warren Chim Wing-nin, a spokesman for the aircraft division at the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers, said the incident did not appear to be high-risk, based on the available information.

“In reality, it is impossible for a system to be completely free from problems,” Chim said. “You can’t say something is abnormal because there are incidents.”
He said factors to be looked into should include why such a problem had happened and whether the problem was similar to those that had happened in the past or a new problem.

Other problems have been reported in the current air traffic management system. In August 2018, radar screens did not show full information for three flights. The department later explained the glitch stemmed from “unexpected data corruption” when the details of a flight route were being processed by the main air traffic management system.

Source: South China Morning Post

British Airways to trial AI-powered robots at Heathrow T5

The AI-powered robot at Heathrow T5 can converse with passengers in different languages. Credit: British Airways.

British Airways (BA) has announced plans to test AI-powered autonomous robots at Heathrow Terminal 5 to further enhance punctuality for passengers.

From next year, the robots will be used in the terminal to guide passengers through the airport. This will allow the airline’s staff to focus on answering more complex queries.

Produced by BotsAndUs, the robots are capable of interacting in different languages with the help of translation technology. They can provide answers to a variety of different questions, including real-time flight information.

Equipped with geolocation technology and advanced sensors, the robots can traverse across the airport and transport passengers to different locations such as BA’s Special Assistance and Family Check-In zones.

British Airways head of innovation Ricardo Vidal said: “We are always looking for new and innovative ways to use automation to help our customers enjoy a faster and smoother journey through the airport and beyond.

“These smart robots are the latest innovation, allowing us to free up our people to deal with immediate issues and offer that one-on-one service we know our customers appreciate. In the future, I envisage a fleet of robots working side-by-side with our people, offering a truly seamless travel experience.”

British Airways has also launched a scheme to train employees as part of its First Contact Resolution Programme at Heathrow.

Under the airlines’ £6.5bn investment plan to improve customer experience, British Airways has introduced automation and AI in its check-in processes to reduce wait times.

Last month, British Airways commenced using AI to ensure the timely departure of flights at Heathrow Terminal 5.

The airline also installed 80 automated check-in kiosks and automated bag-drop machines at the terminal.

Source: airport-technology.com