ATC Over Hudson Bay

Sensis Automatic Dependent Surveillance – Broadcast (ADS-B) ground-based transceivers are now being used to track air traffic over Hudson Bay, Canada.  The deployment provides NAV CANADA air traffic controllers with surveillance coverage of flights over 250,000 square nautical miles of airspace at 29,000 feet and above.  ADS-B enables more efficient flight paths that will greatly reduce fuel consumption and emissions. “Using ADS-B in a high traffic area such as Hudson Bay enables us to significantly improve services to our customers in terms of safety and overall operational efficiency,” said Rudy Kellar, vice president, operations at NAV CANADA.  “With the accuracy of Sensis ADS-B, we can maximize airspace capacity by reducing separation standards from the current procedural separation of 80 miles to the five mile separation standard now used in airspace with surveillance coverage.” ADS-B promises more efficient use of Hudson Bay airspace for some 35,000 flights a year. With the reduced separation standard allotted with ADS-B, properly equipped aircraft are able to climb to optimal altitudes much earlier and to follow more efficient routes.  Once all aircraft using the Hudson Bay airspace are equipped with ADS-B, NAV CANADA estimates savings of approximately 18 million liters of fuel per year and reduced CO2 equivalent emissions of 50,000 tons per year.