Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
MOU provides for establishing an Air Traffic Management (ATM) Innovation Lab in the UAE to codevelop a comprehensive Air Traffic Flow Management (ATFM).
This initiative will provide state-of-the-art ATFM solutions to keep the UAE skies safe, in a sustainable way.
This will be Thales's first of its kind ATM Innovation Lab in Middle East and the fourth in the world, fully focused on exploring the integration of new technologies in legacy ATM systems.
Dubai, 15 November 2023 -The General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), Tawazun Council and Thales have signed a Memorandum of Understanding for joint collaboration to develop comprehensive and state-ofthe-art Air Traffic Management (AFTM) solutions through a new joint innovation lab based in the UAE.
The Innovation Lab will support the UAE aviation sector, including Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSP), airlines, and airports, by optimizing aircraft capacity (reducing congestion and delays), maximizing aircraft traffic predictive analysis, and supporting greener flight operations (aircraft CO2 emission reduction).
The MoU was signed by H.E. Saif Mohammed Al Suwaidi, Director General of the GCCA, Shareef Hashim Al Hashmi, CEO of Operations at Tawazun Council and Pascale Sourisse President and CEO Of Thales International on the sideline of Dubai Airshow 2023.
Under the MOU, GCAA and Thales experts will collaborate and utilize the Innovation Lab, to design and engineer Thales' ATFM solution, from the definition of the concept of operation, to the deployment of new functionalities suitable to meet the UAE operational requirements.
GCAA has been at the forefront of managing phenomenal growth in air traffic movements, which are forecasted to double by 2030 within the UAE airspace, one of the busiest in the world. This growth has been further fueled by the success of the locally based national carriers. The physical infrastructure, the aerospace system and the human resources are constantly challenged with delivering a safe and efficient service.
The agreement is a part of Thales fulfilling its obligations with the Economic Program under the Defense and Security Industry Affairs Unit at the Tawazun Council. The council will play a pivotal role in ensuring the necessary requirements are met to make this project a success and continue its development. This will enhance the sustainability of the aviation system, achieve added value for the national economy, and boost local content in the country.
H.E. Saif Mohammed Al Suwaidi, Director General of GCAA, Said, This collaboration marks a pivotal step in our strategy to strengthen our relationship with our stakeholders and indicates the importance of collaboration between the different UAE entities in supporting the common goals of the UAE. We are passionate to expand this collaboration further in the future to benefit the UAE and Middle East ATM stakeholders by improving airspace capacity and efficiency and reducing congestions, delays and CO2 emissions. By joining efforts with Tawazun Council and Thales, we reinforce our commitment to innovation in air traffic management. The Innovation Lab, reflects our dedication to ensuring the sustainability of the aviation system amid the expected growth of the air traffic movements in the UAE airspace, one of the busiest globally. As we navigate this growth, fostering technological advancements is key to delivering safe and efficient aviation services.
H.E. Muammar Abdulla Abushehab, CEO of Tawazun Council emphasized Tawazun Councils dedication to incorporating advanced technology and artificial intelligence in projects aligning with partners needs. He highlighted the councils commitment to advancing sustainability in the aviation sector, particularly through the (ATFM) project, the first project to be developed in the region. Abushehab underscored the projects significance in enhancing the UAEs global competitiveness and improving efficiency in aviation from strategic planning to tactical operations.
We are very pleased to sign this MoU with our strategic UAE partners, Tawazun Council and GCAA, for the development of the Innovation Lab. Implementing cutting-edge ATFM solutions will support GCAA in reducing congestion and delays at some of the world's busiest airports, not just today, but for years to come. Long-term and holistic vision is critical when it comes to the infrastructure of our countries. The lab will facilitate cross-fertilisation of ideas and expertise to have a state-of-the-art ATM infrastructure in the region. said Pascale Sourisse.
About Thales :
Thales (Euronext Paris: HO) is a global leader in advanced technologies within three domains: Defence & Security, Aeronautics & Space, and Digital Identity & Security. It develops products and solutions that help make the world safer, greener and more inclusive. The Group invests close to 4 billion a year in Research & Development, particularly in key areas such as quantum technologies, Edge computing, 6G and cybersecurity. Thales has 77,000 employees in 68 countries. In 2022, the Group generated sales of 17.6 billion.
Contact
Tarek Solimane, Regional Communications Director, Middle East, Africa, Saudi Arabia and Central Asia
971 50 104 5934 tarek.solimane@thalesgroup.com
Lucie Baton, Media Relations
971 50 639 4126 lucie.baton@external.thalesgroup.com
27 Nov 2023
Thales SEC Transport awarded a contract to deliver signaling system for Nanchang Metro Line 1 and Line 2 extensions
Read more
27 Nov 2023
Thales - Elettronica joint company SIGEN aboard the Horizon frigates for the modernization of the Electronic Warfare system
Read more
24 Nov 2023
Thales selected by the DGA to equip the French Navys new offshore patrol vessels with the latest maritime surveillance technologies
Read more
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
15/06/2026
Detach from Direct-Attached: How Remote Editing with EVO Keeps Creative Teams Mo...
14/06/2026
Library captures 1960s R&B/pop drum sound
Following on from their recent wave of plug-in effects, Iconic Instruments have just launched an all-new virtual d...
14/06/2026
HBO Comedy Rooster Shot with URSA Cine 17K 65
Brie Clayton June 14, 2026
0 Comments
Large format brings viewers intimately close to characters.
Black...
13/06/2026
Latest expansion pack includes 252 presets
Devious Machines have recently introduced another expansion for their powerful multi-effects plug-in, Infiltrator...
13/06/2026
Create custom DAW/plug-in controllers using prompts
MetaGrid have recently introduced an all-new AI Builder function to their touchscreen-based control surf...
13/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
YES Network and The Gotham Sports App will air seven Athletes Unlimited Softball...
12/06/2026
The United Football League will host its FAST Innovation Suite at the 2026 United Bowl presented by Credit One Bank on Saturday, June 13 at 3:00 p.m. ET at Audi...
12/06/2026
PTZOptics and LayerJot will present live demonstrations at InfoComm 2026 showing how natural-language AI prompting, robotic camera control, and on-device comput...
12/06/2026
MultiDyne Video and Fiber Optic Systems will exhibit at InfoComm 2026, featuring...
12/06/2026
Ateme has announced that Eurovision Services is using Ateme's software-based frame-rate conversion technology for international live event workflows. The de...
12/06/2026
Bitmovin and Simplestream have announced a partnership with Xperi to simplify the launch of OTT streaming services on TiVo OS smart TVs and devices. The collabo...
12/06/2026
Net Insight has announced that a multinational technology company is deploying a...
12/06/2026
MLB Players Inc., the business arm of the MLB Players Association, has announced a partnership with Athletes First to develop and sell brand partnerships across...
12/06/2026
Guntermann and Drunck (G&D) and VuWall have announced the CommandKeyboard-Advanc...
12/06/2026
Comcast Smart Solutions announces a new smart technology deployment with Major L...
12/06/2026
Elevation Worship completed the initial leg of its Elevation Nights 2026 tour ...
12/06/2026
AJA Video Systems has announced KONA IP25 support for Colorfront Transkoder and ...
12/06/2026
Audinate Group Limited (ASX: AD8) will exhibit at InfoComm 2026 (Booth C7321, Ce...
12/06/2026
Pac-12 Commissioner Teresa Gould has announced the appointment of Scott Adametz as Chief Technology Officer. The Pac-12 describes the hire as the first CTO appo...
12/06/2026
Grass Valley has announced AMPP Edge Live, a production system combining Grass Valley hardware, NVIDIA Blackwell GPU acceleration, and AMPP OS in a single platf...
12/06/2026
At one time a trailblazer with the launch of the Longhorn Network, the Universit...
12/06/2026
Ratings Roundup is a rundown of recent rating news and is derived from press rel...
12/06/2026
Chyron has announced PAINT 10.4, an update to its illustrated replay and sports ...
12/06/2026
SVP, Production, Mark Gross: With the new schedule, with not having every Sunday night, it has given us an opportunity to take a step back and reimagine what o...
12/06/2026
For Televisa Technical Engineering Manager Roberto N nez Ibarra and the small team of 12 technicians and two production personnel at the IBC things are already ...
12/06/2026
Simple Steps to Better Acoustics - Taming The Small Room
Most of us mix in spare rooms and small spaces, where the acoustics fight us at every turn. At Gear...
12/06/2026
Latest addition expands vintage-inspired effects palette
Meris' Ottobit pedal range draws its inspiration from vintage gaming consoles, and the latest a...
12/06/2026
Soundbox-based chamber strings series expanded
Sonora Cinematic have just announced the launch of the second instalment in their Soundbox-based chamber stri...
12/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
AJA Announces KONA IP25 Integration with Colorfront Software
Brie Clayton June 12, 2026
0 Comments
Collaboration enables uncompressed SMPTE ST 2110 I/O ...
12/06/2026
URSA Cine 12K LF Used to Create Visuals for STUTS' K-Arena Concert
Brie Clayton June 12, 2026
0 Comments
Organic visuals projected on a giant scre...
12/06/2026
MTI FILM Acquires Mango New Edit, Expanding its Global Post-Production Services ...
12/06/2026
AI Point Tracking Speeds Up Complex VFX Tracks in Mocha Pro
Jessie Electa Petrov June 12, 2026
0 Comments
The 2026.5 release adds automatic point trac...
12/06/2026
Bitmovin, a provider of video streaming solutions, has partnered with Simplestream, a provider of OTT and broadcast solutions, and technology provider Xperi, to...
12/06/2026
Leostream Corporation, creator of the world-leading Leostream Remote Desktop Access Platform, today announced Jigsaw24, a leading B2B IT solutions provider wit...
12/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
How Aussie indie games and screen are levelling up with IP 11 June 2026
Ari Harrison, Pro Jank Footy
Head of Games Joey Egger and Ari Harrison of Umbrella sha...
12/06/2026
AgentPerf from Artificial Analysis, the industry's first agentic AI benchmark, gives developers, enterprises and infrastructure providers a clear way to com...
Facebook 
