Air traffic team eyes Africa skies

By DANIEL RIORDAN

The Airways Corporation is considering extending its operations into Africa on the back of its partnership with United States aviation giant Lockheed Martin.

Lockheed executives were in New Zealand this week for talks with their Airways counterparts.

They said they were working with the Safe African Skies Group on a regional air-traffic control system for the 21 African nations represented by Comesa, the common market for eastern and southern Africa.

Comesa will decide whether to proceed with its plans by the end of the year.

The corporation is considering joining Lockheed in the project and will make a decision within a few weeks, according to spokeswoman Heather Hayden.

She said the corporation was still assessing the exact nature of any involvement it might have.

The value of the contract has not been disclosed.

Lockheed air traffic management's senior vice-president international, Jim Craig, said Safe would create the company to run the air traffic control system and raise finance from private capital markets.

Safe includes Lockheed, a former US ambassador to the region, an African engineering firm and an individual US investor.

Mr Craig said the newly formed company would enter into a concession agreement with Comesa member states to install, commission and operate a communications, navigation and surveillance/air traffic management (CNS/ATM) system for the region.

The system would provide air traffic management services in the upper airspace, 7500m or more above sea level.

Meanwhile, Lockheed and the Airways Corporation remain confident about their chances of beating off other bidders for the British air traffic control system, which is soon to be partly privatised.

The nature of corporation executives' involvement in the bid was criticised by New Zealand First leader Winston Peters, but an Auditor-General's report into the matter, released this month, cleared them.

Mr Craig said nine consortiums had submitted expressions of interest in the British system by the closing date of July 14.

The British Government was looking at them and would choose a shortlist within the next four to six weeks.

Tender documents providing greater details on the bid would be issued, indicative offers from remaining bidders would be invited and due diligence would then take place, with a final selection expected in February next year.

While there had been no indication from the Government on who was preferred at this stage, the British media were referring to the Lockheed-Airways Corporation bid as the leader.

Ms Hayden said that although the privatisation had provoked strong public debate in Britain, enabling legislation had passed successfully through the Commons and was expected to proceed just as smoothly through the House of Lords.

Lockheed and the corporation also formalised this week the agreement setting up Lockheed's technology centre in Christchurch, which will be used as the base for joint projects in Asia Pacific.

And the bidding for upgrading the US Federal Aviation Authority's ocean traffic control system is down to two bidders, including Lockheed-Airways Corporation.