Zambia to join regional neighbours with acquisition of state-of-the-art Thales ATM

Following an international competitive tender, the Ministry of Transport, Works, Supply and Communication of Zambia has chosen Thales for the supply, delivery, installation, and commissioning of the country’s air traffic management and radar surveillance system.

Key points

• Thales’s TopSky-ATC will manage the entirety of Zambia’s air space.
• Thales adds Zambia to its extensive User Community.
• 70% of African ATC centres are already equipped by Thales’s TopSky-ATC. 

Zambia joins an extensive community of African countries that use Thales systems and pursue regional harmonisation; an initiative strongly supported by Thales. The Group will supply its TopSky-ATC, the world’s most advanced air traffic control system, to Kenneth Kaunda International Airport in Lusaka and Harry Mwanga Nkumbula International Airport in Livingstone. The Thales solution will be delivered alongside two primary radars and two secondary surveillance radars equipped with full Mode S.  All systems are fully compliant with the new ICAO Flight Plan 2012 format and EUROCONTROL standards.

Before Zambia, other African countries - including Namibia, the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Africa - have deployed this air traffic automation and surveillance system. Zambia will therefore benefit from a greatly enhanced air traffic management network, seamlessly interoperable with all other regional systems, most of which are also equipped by Thales.

Over the years, Thales has become dominant in Africa’s Air Traffic Management market. Over 70% of the continent’s control centres now feature TopSky-ATC, the world’s most successful ATC turnkey solution - used by over 16,000 controllers globally.

“The chance to equip Zambia’s ATM is further testament to the strength of our brand in Africa. We look forward to a long and fruitful partnership with this new client.”

Thomas Pistre, Director of Sales for Africa of Thales’s ATM business.