Aster is an independent engineering firm that provides consultancy, systems engineering, design and supervision services. The company also supplies innovative technologies to governments, public authorities and industrial firms in the airport and worldwide aviation technology sector.

Aster offers a wide range of airport planning, design and development consultancy services, bringing a global perspective to the projects and drawing on extensive in-house expertise and its unique access to airline experts and other specialists.

Air traffic control and management support services

Aster operates in Europe and the Middle East as a fully independent organisation, providing impartial support to its clients during airport and air traffic control and management facilities development projects.

These range from the initial master plan and system operational cycle management to the improvement of customer service with training and specialisation.

Aster’s focus on the study, design, specifications and support to the implementation of air traffic control (ATC), communications, navigation and surveillance (CNS) and air traffic management (ATM) systems and technologies, integrated airport technologies and systems, airport security systems and ATC simulation and training facilities.

Airport master plan studies

Aster provides master plan studies for the optimal development of existing or proposed airports.

A team of airport planners and aeronautical specialists analyse all pertinent key issues at the site. Such issues may include the sizing and location of major facilities, provision of adequate capacity to meet the projected demand, compatibility of airport expansion with local land-use planning and the environmental impact of the proposed development.

Aster performs a number of services, including:

• Airport development plans in the short to medium-term
• Preparation, verification and support for the certification of master and business plans for new airports and conversions, extensions, renovations and modernisation of airport infrastructure
• Functional analysis and preliminary, final and executive infrastructure and plants design and simulation
• Design optimisation of surveillance, monitoring, networks and communication systems
• Support for the management of turnkey engineering technological
• Tender preparation and tender support in the evaluation and negotiation

Specialist aviation studies

Aster is qualified to perform the specialist studies for the airport and aviation sector, including:

• Traffic forecasts analysis, airport demand and capacity studies
• Support to airport certification
• Aeronautical studies: airport noise, obstacles, risk areas
• Definition, realisation and validation of takeoff, approach and landing procedures
• Airport driving licence (ADC), advanced surface movement guidance and control system (A-SMGCS) and ‘FOLLOW the GREEN LIGHTS’
• Staffing, training and support to operational start of landside systems, ATM and ATC systems
• Safety management system (SMS), apron management system (AMS) and relevant procedures
• Studies of environmental and electromagnetic compatibility
• Coverage and interference analysis for optimisation of radar, communications and navigational aids (navaids) antennas displacement within the airport area

Airport technology solution design services

Aster undertakes preliminary and final design of technology solutions for airport landside, airside and terminals.

Systems design and equipment specification services performed by Aster include:

• ATM and ATC control centres, network infrastructures and technological plants
• Radar and multilateration systems
• Automatic dependent surveillance – broadcast (ADS-B), contract (ADS-C) and communication systems (VoIP, VCSS, CPDLC, D-ATIS)
• Infrastructure and communication networks (AFTN, AMHS)
• Navaids (ILS, VOR and DME) and meteorology systems

Aster also offers support to the preparation of tender dossiers, as well as evaluation for technical and commercial projects.

Airport project management consulting

ASTER provides experienced project managers for outsourced management, as well as support the management of large international projects.

The company offers a number of services, such as:

• Expert project managers with decades of experience in turnkey design and construction of new airports
• Technical direction and advisory for the verification of systems
• Supervision of procurement processes, supplies factory and on site testing, support to product insurance, validation and qualification system
• Support to the monitoring of systems lifecycle, and reliability, availability and maintainability study (RAMS) analysis

Air traffic control and management simulation facilities

Aster delivers design and integration of ATC / ATM simulation facilities customised for the local civil aviation authorities and recognised training organisations.

The company also provides additional support to the setup and delivery of the following standard ATC / ATM courses:

• Air traffic control assistant / basic induction: a comprehensive introduction to air traffic services domain, procedures and techniques
• Air traffic control primary course (ADV): to prepare students to carry out the role of air traffic controller assistant
• Aerodrome air traffic control (ADI): theory, principles and practice of aerodrome control
• Approach control (non-radar, radar terminal, radar area): theory, principles, practices and procedures for approach control
• Instructional technique student and on job training instructor (OJTI): to provide the training of personnel that has to be qualified as instructor