Airways NZ picks up IT Award for Simulator

MEDIA RELEASE

26 July 2006

For immediate release

Airways New Zealand picks up Computerworld Overall Excellence in IT Award for ATC training simulator

Airways New Zealand, New Zealand’s Air Traffic Control and Air Navigation Services provider, has just been awarded three high profile IT awards including the Overall Excellence in IT Award from ComputerWorld Magazine, for its New Zealand-developed air traffic control training simulator.

Announced last week at a gala dinner attended by the Prime Minister, Rt Hon Helen Clark, Airways New Zealand beat off strong competition to pick up awards in three categories: Excellence in the Use of IT in Education, Innovative Use of Technology, and the overall award, Overall Excellence in the Use of IT.

Built in collaboration with Dunedin-based Animation Research Limited, Airways New Zealand’s ‘Total Control’ air traffic control simulator boasts many features not found on far more expensive simulators developed overseas.

Featuring Animation Research’s superb photo-realistic computer-generated graphics, ‘Total Control’ simulates New Zealand’s airports in real time, enabling air traffic controllers to train in a fully featured, realistic environment.

Ashley Smout, CEO of Airways New Zealand, says the awards are a fantastic achievement for the two companies, and fitting testimony to the dedication and hard work of the Training Centre and Technical staff at Airways who have turned a ‘can do’ vision into a high-tech reality.

“The Total Control simulator offers us a far wider range of benefits than if we’d decided to simply buy a simulator ‘off the shelf’ from an overseas vendor - benefits such as lower training costs as well as faster, more effective deployment of skills into the operational environment.”

“Airways has a global reputation in its industry as an innovative Air Navigation Services provider, with many global ‘firsts’ and international awards to its name. These awards confirm our status as one of the world’s leading providers of Air Navigation Services, but more importantly, they signal the increasing role Innovation will play in our future.”

“We envisage that international markets will also benefit from Total Control, with demand growing for high quality/cost effective air traffic control training tools among air traffic control organisations worldwide. Total Control’s low cost, extensive range of breakthrough features and functional training improvements present a compelling proposition to other Air Navigation Services providers,” said Mr Smout.

ENDS

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