Atech, an Embraer Group Company, Signs Contract with ATNS to Modernize Air Traffic Flow Management in South Africa

Atech, an Embraer Group company, has signed a contract with Air Traffic and Navigation Services (ATNS), South Africa’s state-owned provider of air navigation services, to deliver a new Air Traffic Flow Management (ATFM) system. The advanced solution will replace the country’s existing system and will be deployed at the main Air Traffic Control (ATC) Center at OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg.

The implementation includes a disaster and recovery center to ensure operational continuity, as well as a training and simulation environment for staff development and system testing.

South Africa manages around 283,000 flights annually, linking more than 20 domestic and 35 international destinations, making it a critical air transport hub on the continent. The new ATFM system will enhance airspace planning and coordination, balancing scheduled flights with airport and sector capacity. This ensures more accurate responses to weather, construction, or operational restrictions, minimizes delays, and improves both safety and predictability.

“This new contract with ATNS reinforces our international expansion strategy and Atech’s commitment to delivering high-impact air traffic management solutions,” said Rodrigo Persico, CEO of Atech. “The new system will result in a more efficient, resilient, and predictable operational environment, delivering tangible benefits for passengers, airlines, and airports while strengthening the competitiveness of South Africa’s civil aviation sector.”

The system aligns with ICAO Document 9971 and integrates demand-capacity balancing (DCB) and collaborative decision-making (CDM) tools for both pre-tactical and tactical phases. It also introduces airport slot management, enabling airlines to negotiate schedules and submit flight intentions in advance, while supporting strategic airspace planning.

Additional capabilities include real-time dashboards for monitoring and key performance indicators (KPIs) for post-operation analysis, along with cross-border ATFM coordination with neighboring Flight Information Regions (FIRs) to support integration with a multi-nodal network. The system also incorporates an Initial and Integrated Flight Plan System (IFPS) aligned with EUROCONTROL requirements, which reduces flight plan processing time and manual work. Further enhancements include an Airspace Management and Coordination System (AMCS) for processing the flexible use of airspace at strategic, pre-tactical, and tactical levels, and a UTM Flow Management System (UTFM) designed to manage and coordinate unmanned traffic management (UTM) airspace.

The contract is set to run for two years, with the project scheduled for completion in the third quarter of 2027.