Thales Australia has begun the construction of a new research and development centre in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, aimed at shaping the future of Air Traffic Management (ATM). The Centre for Advanced Studies in ATM (CASIA) will be at the forefront of the company’s work on new ATM offerings for Australia and export markets around the world. Beyond cutting- edge R&D, CASIA will be available for use by Thales’ customers, partners and suppliers. The company will also strengthen its ties with Victorian universities and other educational institutions through shared research initiatives.
The centre will be located within Thales Australia’s existing premises at Melbourne’s World Trade Centre, and will begin operations early in 2011. It will pioneer innovative solutions and explore new technologies that will directly contribute to making air travel safer, more efficient and greener, while delivering a host of other benefits to local and international Air Navigation Service Providers.
Chris Jenkins, Thales Australia’s CEO, said CASIA represented the next chapter of ATM in Australia. “CASIA is the result of long term investment in our ATM business, which has grown from just a few employees 15 years ago to a global centre of excellence employing 400 people in highly skilled jobs.”
“Thales Australia is ideally placed to offer local, regional and global customers the most innovative ATM solutions in the world today, building on our success with the Eurocat system and enabling effective airspace management in an era of increasing air traffic and technological complexity.”