Procurement and Installation of ATC Tower Console – CAAN

Overview

The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN), Communication and Navigation Aid Department, contracted the supply, delivery, installation, and testing of Air Traffic Control (ATC) tower consoles and Aerodrome Flight Information Service (AFIS) consoles under contract CAAN/CNAD/ICB-01/075/76 (MSI project number MSI-PRJ-75-0332). Work covered 10 domestic airports: Biratnagar, Nepalgunj, Rumjatar, Rajbiraj, Dang, Sanfebagar, Doti, Phaplu, Thamkharka, and Balewa. The project replaced legacy ATC console furniture at the major controlled aerodromes and extended AFIS console infrastructure to remote airports previously without it, aligned with ICAO standards. It was completed on 1 April 2021, over a duration of one year and four months.

Scope & Deliverables

• Installation of two-operator ATC tower consoles at Biratnagar and Nepalgunj Airports, with associated facility equipment dismantled, integrated into the new console systems, and tested
• Installation of single-operator AFIS consoles at eight remote domestic airports: Dang, Doti, Sanfebagar, Balewa, Rajbiraj, Rumjatar, Phaplu, and Thamkharka
• Integration of VHF Multimode Digital Radio systems for ground-to-air communications with digital signaling capability, three radio sets installed per airport for redundancy
• Deployment of meteorological weather observation systems at remote locations, compliant with ICAO and WMO standards, to support flight information services
• Installation of Digital Voice Recording systems at each airport for aviation safety monitoring and compliance
• Computer-based remote control and monitoring system for the VHF radio equipment, enabling centralized ATC and wide-area control applications, real-time parameter settings, and equipment status surveillance
• Solar photovoltaic power systems with 400Ah@C10 dual-bank battery backup and automatic redundancy switching between the two banks, for uninterrupted equipment operation at off-grid and power-unstable locations
• Full project execution covering design, procurement, installation, testing, and commissioning at all 10 airports

Outcome

Console replacement and equipment integration at Biratnagar and Nepalgunj Airports were carried out within nighttime windows, with each system tested and operational before the next operational day, without disruption to flight operations. All 10 airports were equipped with new ATC or AFIS consoles, VHF digital radio systems, meteorological observation equipment, digital voice recording systems, and solar-battery power backup, commissioned and handed over to CAAN.