CORPAC of Peru has announced to have put into service the AMHS link between its aeronautical fixed communication centre in Lima and Colombia’s Aerocivil in Bogotá without using a hitch, on 8 November. Both South-American ANSP have made a major leap in terms of advancing the worldwide aeronautical telecommunication network (ATN) in line with the latest ICAO requirements.

Both parties relied on the excellent assistance of the Germany-based system provider COMSOFT. COMSOFT is the world leader in AMHS messaging systems and contributed their vast experience from numerous installations in Europe, Africa, the Middle East and the Asia-Pacific region, which are internationally renowned for their interoperability and stability.

“I join into the congratulations to the teams of COMSOFT, CORPAC and Aerocivil who participated in this first implementation of AMHS between two South American countries. Yet again, COMSOFT shows its leadership in the global aeronautic sector”, says the Peruvian AMHS coordinator, José-Luis Paredes.

The commissioning of this first Latin-American AMHS link underlines the ongoing commitment of both countries to improve flight safety and emphasises their excellent position in technical progress in the field of aeronautical navigation.

“This raises us into the avant-garde for this kind of link”, confirms Luis César Rivera Pérez, general manager of air navigation, CORPAC.

Both countries have worked hand-in-hand since the end of last year in order to pass the required ICAO tests. First results of the interoperability and pre-operational tests were presented at the ICAO CAR/SAM ATN seminar and AMC course in Santo Domingo in November 2009.

AMHS transports information for air navigation such as flight plans, notice-to-airmen (NOTAM) or meteorological messages and will replace the outdated aeronautical fixed telecommunication network (AFTN). Unlike the AFTN, the AMHS network can carry arbitrary content in addition to the traditional text-only content. Hence, it represents a service, which is essential for the implementation of worldwide integrated air traffic management. Consequently, Peru and Colombia are now in a comfortable position and ready to connect to the future of air navigation.