Vaisala, a Finnish measurement technology company, has signed a contract with the Indonesian Agency for Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics (BMKG) to modernise fourteen Indonesian airports.
The contract, valuing at EUR 25 million, calls for improved airport weather systems and equipment to strengthen safety and weather resiliency, and is Vaisala’s largest ever aviation weather project.
“Flight safety should not be a privilege. No matter where you live, you should be able to trust that your air travel is protected by modern automatic weather observation systems,” said Jarkko Sairanen, Executive Vice President, Weather and Environment, Vaisala. “This is especially true in Indonesia where the tropical climate brings in thunderstorms and other weather events that can severely affect the safety of the passengers and ground personnel alike.”
The project is being funded through the Finnish Public Sector Investment Facility (PIF), a programme that is eligible for projects that comply with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals in developing countries. Starting from 2025, it will run for three years.
“The order includes modern aviation weather technology, including our AviMet Automated Weather Observing System (AWOS) to eight airports, and a wind shear alert system, combining our X-band weather radars and wind lidars, to four airports. The project also includes the Finnish Meteorological Institute’s SILAM model that can be used for estimating movements of ash clouds from volcanic eruptions. As Indonesia is located on the Pacific Ring of Fire with estimated 80 active volcanos, this will be a significant addition to the safety of Indonesian aviation,” Sairanen concludes.
Due to the rapid growth of Indonesia’s aviation market, investing in airport infrastructure is an important step for the stability of the industry. The country’s biggest airports are Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta, Bali Ngurah Rai, and Surabaya Juanda.
Photo: Vaisala
