SINGAPORE, July 22 (Xinhua) -- Singapore will invest about 4 billion Singapore dollars (about 3.1 billion U.S. dollars) over the next 15 years to upgrade its air navigation services as the city-state prepares for rising air travel demand and the opening of Changi Airport's Terminal 5, the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) said on Wednesday.
The plans include increasing its air traffic controller workforce by about 40 percent to around 700 officers by the mid-2030s, replacing or upgrading more than 30 air navigation systems with new technologies such as artificial intelligence, and establishing an Engineering Development Center to deepen local expertise and develop new operational capabilities with industry and research partners, the CAAS said in a statement.
A new NexGen Air Traffic Management System, expected to be completed in 2030, will support up to 1 million aircraft movements annually and process up to 4,000 aircraft positions in real time, doubling current capacity.
The investment comes as the International Civil Aviation Organization projects that air passenger volume will nearly triple over the next 25 years, with the Asia-Pacific region accounting for about half of the increase.
Singapore manages one of the world's busiest and most complex airspaces, with CAAS air traffic controllers handling about 2,000 flights a day, including around 1,000 arrivals and departures at Changi Airport. ■