Singapore to invest S$4 billion in air navigation over 15 years

[00:00:00]4 billion Singapore dollars will be invested in air navigation services over the next 15 years. The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore says this is to meet rising demand for air travel. It is also looking to hire 40% more air traffic controllers and will be replacing an air traffic management system in order to double the processing capacity to up to 4,000 concurrent aircraft positions in real time.

[00:00:27]Charlotte Lim with more.

[00:00:31]12.4 billion passengers globally by 2050. That annual volume is a projection that's triple the 2024 figure. And the Asia-Pacific region is expected to account for half the growth. We need to plan ahead, invest, uh, leverage technology and partner to build capacity and capability in the skies that match airport investments on the ground for us to be able to deliver to all airspace users a smoother and safer travel experience.

[00:01:04]>> For one, CAS is looking for more air traffic control officers. It wants to grow its current number of 500 to around 700 by the mid 2030s. New recruits are already offered a 20,000 Singapore dollars signon bonus. CAS has introduced an undergraduate scholarship and is also developing an undergraduate degree specializing in the field with a local university yet to be revealed.

[00:01:32]As for the hardware, over 30 air navigation systems will be replaced or upgraded to leverage new tech such as AI. A new air traffic management system will be capable of supporting up to 1 million aircraft movements annually.

[00:01:48]Another system will give air traffic controllers a realtime digital view of the aerodyome so they can make decisions faster. Bad weather is becoming a bigger challenge with more flights diverted or delayed when conditions take a turn. To stay ahead of that, authorities are leveraging technology to predict where and when lightning is likely to occur, as well as how the winds might change.

[00:02:10]The aim is to help controllers respond faster, reduce delays, and keep flights moving safely. A new complex will house the new systems and capabilities. The iconic Changi control tower, which has greeted many passengers since 1981, will also be upgraded.

[00:02:32]But while tech and AI is helping to chart the course ahead, Genevie Vu explains how the people directing every flight remain at the heart of the operation.

[00:02:44]Every 80 seconds, a plane takes off or lands at Singapore Chinese airport.

[00:02:50]If you've ever looked out the window and wondered why your flight is circling, delayed, or suddenly changing course, there's usually a reason. Behind the scenes, air traffic control officers or ATCOs's are constantly managing the skies. Now, flights are handed from one controller to another with each controller often communicating with around 20 pilots at the same time.

[00:03:18]At the Singapore Air Traffic Control Center near Changi Village, area controllers guide aircraft through Singapore's airspace at cruising altitude. Then approach controllers organize arrivals and departures.

[00:03:38]Every movement is carefully choreographed.

[00:03:42]Controllers adjust an aircraft's altitude, speed, and direction, keeping planes safely separated long before pilots ever see one another. But the skies don't always cooperate.

[00:04:05]A thunderstorm can suddenly block a flight path, forcing dozens of aircraft to be rerouted. ATCOs must quickly reroute the traffic flow, deciding which aircraft turns first, which continues, and which lands ahead of others, while maintaining safe separation.

[00:04:27]Or imagine someone falls critically ill mid-flight.

[00:04:33]The pilots request an emergency landing.

[00:04:36]Controllers immediately create a clear path, move other aircraft aside, and coordinate with emergency crews on the ground, all within minutes. ATCO's must find a way to give that aircraft priority.

[00:04:51]Clear traffic out of the way and coordinate with emergency crews waiting on the ground.

[00:04:58]Making hundreds of decisions each shift requires intense concentration. That's where artificial intelligence could help.

[00:05:07]AI could become a second set of eyes.

[00:05:12]Analyzing flight and weather data to flag potential conflicts and support faster decisions. But when conditions suddenly change, it is still the human controller who makes the final call. And at Changi control tower, aerodromea controllers guide every aircraft through the final approach and safely onto the runway, completing a journey that began thousands of kilometers away.