JOHOR BAHRU, 5 October 2015 – A Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) has been signed between Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) and Advanced Air Traffic Systems (M) Sdn. Bhd. (AAT) to enable collaborative research and development of Air Traffic Control System.

Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Datuk Dr. Wahid Omar signed the MoU on behalf of UTM, while AAT was represented by its Chairman, Dato ‘ Zolkifli Abdul. The ceremony took place at the Main Meeting Room, Sultan Ibrahim Chancellery Building, Johor Bahru campus.

Speaking at a press conference after the signing ceremony, Prof. Wahid said that UTM will act as consultant in the development of the air traffic system in addition to conducting research and testing of equipment which could later be used by commercial airports. The collaboration will also focus on the creation of hardware and software used in air traffic control.

Datuk Wahid Omar pointed out that there is huge potential in this collaboration because research in this area could include large data analysis, surveillance system and air traffic software

This collaboration is also an indication of UTM’s commitment to the national planning as postulated in the ‘National Aerospace Blueprint 2030’ that aspires to make Malaysian aerospace industry to become competitive at the global level.

For the record, UTM has embarked on a study of air traffic since 2010 with AAT and the Department of Civil Aviation (DCA). UTM researchers comprise experts in the field of Civil Engineering and Mechanical Engineering.

The combination of these two fields will allow UTM to move forward more effectively and efficiently in the exploration of air traffic system.

The MoA also shows that UTM is committed to conducting research and development in accordance with its status as a research university.