By 2030, 60 million passengers per year are expected to travel through Toronto Pearson International Airport, the largest airport in Canada and the fastest growing in North America.  To meet the demand, the Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA) is undergoing a multi-project construction program to leverage the existing airport infrastructure through maximizing and optimizing airport capacity. As part of the development project, ADB Safegate’s Canadian office recently completed an extensive airfield project at the airport.

In 2015, Toronto Pearson International Airport was the second fastest growing airport in North America and the first Canadian Airport to reach 40 million passengers. By 2030, 60 million passengers per year are expected to travel through Toronto Pearson. Looking toward the future, GTAA is undergoing a multi-project construction program that began in 2014 and is scheduled to be completed in 2019.

ADB Safegate’s Canadian office (formerly Liberty Airport Systems) recently completed an extensive airfield project at Toronto Pearson to replace the airport’s obsolete airfield control system with a new PLC-based Airfield Lighting Control and Monitoring System (ALCMS) for the airport’s five runways with two CAT III approaches and eight CAT I approaches.

Reliability on the airfield is critical and ADB Safegate’s PLC-based ALCMS is designed to be rugged and reliable, using industrial grade components, programmable logic controller (PLC) and microprocessor-based technologies, and incorporating multiple levels of redundancy. The control system is modular and easily expandable and can handle the most complex airport requirements and advanced applications including Surface Movement and Guidance Control Systems (SMGCS).

Pearson’s airfield is powered by 210 switchgear-style constant current regulators, housed in six electrical vaults, which have provided reliable service for over 20 years. The installation of the ALCMS included the interconnection of the six electrical vaults, central de-icing facility, control tower, airfield control center and maintenance facilities using fiber optic cable as the primary communications medium in a redundant ring topology. In all, there are circuit selectors installed in 27 different locations on the airfield and approximately 1000 individually controlled circuits. The installation also included 11 user-interface control stations plus direct operation of the ALCMS from the ATC tower integrated information display system.

The new system provides the airport with a simpler and more efficient approach to airfield control and monitoring with improved response times, greater reliability and advanced maintenance functionalities that include user-friendly diagnostic screens, a visual network and component status information.

“We have worked with Liberty Airport Systems [ADB Safegate] on a number of projects and are extremely pleased by the incredible effort from everyone involved to complete the project on schedule and without disrupting airport operations,” said Balraj Parmar, P.Eng., Senior Electrical Engineer for the GTAA. “Their efforts resulted in a smooth and seamless handover of services and we are now looking forward to the benefits of a modern airfield lighting control and monitoring system and a more efficient airside operation.”

ADB Safegate’s scope of work encompassed the design, supply, installation of hardware and software, training, testing and commissioning. The project required extensive coordination between ADB Safegate, Nav Canada Air Traffic Control personnel, and the GTAA engineering and maintenance teams. The implementation was completed in stages to help ensure a smooth migration without interrupting airport operations, and the full support of the airport’s maintenance department was critical during the transition. While the switchover was taking place, the equipment was operated in manual mode under controller instructions.

For more information, please contact ADB Safegate, Canada