Airservices is a government-owned corporation providing safe, secure, efficient and environmentally responsible services to the aviation industry. We manage air traffic operations for around 75 million passengers on more than three million flights every year.

Implementation of Smart Tracking

The roll-out of Smart Tracking technology is a key component of the aviation infrastructure Australia’s major cities need as they continue to grow.

Trials of this technology have been held at several Australian airports using existing flight routes.

Airports around Australia have trialled Smart Tracking in various forms. They are Adelaide, Alice Springs, Ayers Rock, Brisbane, Broome, Cairns, Canberra, Darwin, Gold Coast, Hobart, Kalgoorlie-Boulder, Karratha, Melbourne, Mount Isa, Port Hedland and Townsville. Brisbane was the first location to receive permanent implementation of Smart Tracking in March 2012.

The Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) has sponsored these trials, which have been running in some locations since 2006.

The nature of the trials has varied.  Some involved several flights on a daily basis over many months (the Brisbane Green Project). Others involved only a small numbers of flights.

In each case only suitably equipped aircraft and appropriately trained pilots with approval from CASA were able to participate.

All trials delivered more reliable arrivals, reduced the incidence of missed approaches in which aircraft make more than one attempt to land, and reduced the number of diversions to other airports.

These benefits were the direct result of Smart Tracking technology.

Airservices will work to permanently establish Smart Tracking at eight major airports, in consultation with the community, to ensure the safety, environmental and efficiency benefits of the technology can be realised in Australia.

These airports are (in alphabetical order):

  • Adelaide (implemented first half of 2013)
  • Brisbane (implemented March 2012)
  • Cairns  (implemented first half of 2013)
  • Canberra (implemented first half of 2013)
  • Gold Coast
  • Melbourne (implemented first half of 2013)
  • Perth
  • Sydney (subject to further study and consultation to determine how Smart Tracking could be deployed to improve noise sharing).

If you require information in a language other than English, please email community.relations@airservicesaustralia.com