************************************************************
The Civil Aviation Department (CAD) today (December 29) begins operating a new "global high-speed aviation intranet" service using "Air Traffic Services Message Handling System (AMHS)" according to the standards promulgated by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).
This system is initially operated with the Civil Aviation Authority of Macao, marking the first city-pair in the Asia and Pacific Region that provides a full aeronautical message handling service over such new information network.
Before implementing the new information network, an exchange of aeronautical and weather messages is conveyed over the conventional Aeronautical Fixed Telecommunications Network (AFTN). The network is an aged technology designed mainly for ground-to-ground communications within the aviation community using fixed point-to-point leased lines. It has limitation of confining to low-to-medium speed text-based message exchange, with message length up to 1,800 characters.
Air Traffic Services Message Handling System is a system that operates over Aeronautical Telecommunication Network (ATN), a global data communication network or "Aviation Intranet", that provides ground-to-ground as well as air-to-ground communications to support operations of future aviation systems.
AMHS operation will provide additional benefits such as high speed data transmission, more reliable message delivery, unlimited message length, support of graphical information (e.g. charts, diagrams) and weather image instead of plain text, and web-based application for aviation users to view, upload and download various aeronautical information and services.
Hong Kong is one of the eight ICAO designated Aeronautical Telecommunication Network backbone sites in the region (see attached diagram). The CAD plans to operate the new system with other major adjoining sites such as Bangkok and Beijing before the end of 2010.
Ends/Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Issued at HKT 12:56
NNNN
