Vaisala has signed a contract with the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) – a government entity managing aviation services in the state of Kuwait – to provide an airport surface observation system and airport meteorological system to Kuwait International Airport.
The value of the contract is approximately €20m (US$22m). The project is part of an expansion and modernization project at the airport, and it is planned to start in February 2024 and be completed by 2025.
The Vaisala AviMet Automated Weather Observing System is an airport weather system that collects, processes and visualizes meteorological data in compliance with International Civil Aviation Organization and World Meteorological Organization standards. It helps air traffic controllers, pilots and other aviation personnel make critical decisions with continuous, real-time reports on airport weather conditions. In addition to basic weather observations, AviMet AWOS can be customized to detect lightning, runway surface condition, windshear and other severe weather phenomena.
“This contract with DGCA for three runways at Kuwait International Airport is the largest single airport instrumentation contract for Vaisala ever. It includes the design, manufacturing, delivery, installation, maintenance, technical support, and user training,” said Jarkko Sairanen, executive vice president of weather and environment at Vaisala.
“Kuwait Meteorological Department, which is part of DGCA, is our long-term customer in aviation and sounding systems. Vaisala also delivered the existing airport surface observation systems for the two current runways at the airport, which will now be upgraded. In addition, Vaisala’s sensor technology is widely used in synoptical measurements.”
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