Series “New Business Creation: Solutions from NTT East Group Companies” ⑮ NAR|電経新聞

Series “New Business Creation: Solutions from NTT East Group Companies” ⑮ NAR

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Toki Air, a regional airline based at Niigata Airport, began flying on January 31st. Japan Airport Radio Service (NAR) provides an A/G wireless remote connection service that enables flight management from a centralized location. The idea is to appeal to airlines based at local airports as ”Toki Air Model”.

NAR  provides Toki Air, a regional airline based at Niigata Airport, with an A/G (Air to Ground) wireless remote connection service that enables flight management from a centralized location.
 A/G wireless remote telephone service is a service that connects pilots and airline operations management, making it possible to manage operations at multiple airports from a centralized location. It is especially effective for operating regional airlines with limited bases and for consolidating flight management bases.
A/G wireless telephone service is provided at eight domestic airports (Narita, Haneda, New Chitose, Chubu, Kansai, Fukuoka, Naha, and Shimojishima), and these days, it has become possible to perform flight management operations even at airports without staff. For this reason, NAR has developed a network solution that allows remote A/Gs to be operated from a single location, and is actively developing it as  A/G remote connection service.
Hiroyuki Otake, Manager of the Planning Division of NAR’s Business Department, said, ”Toki Air does not have as many employees as major airlines, so it is difficult to allocate human resources to new bases. We proposed an A/G remote connection service that allows for remote flight management”.

Toki Air has launched flights on January 31st as the first airline based at Niigata Airport. It plans to launch flights to Hokkaido, Sendai, Aichi, Kansai, and other destinations.
NAR accommodated the wireless base stations and self-operated stations at Niigata Airport and Toki Air’s destination airports in the service’s network, making it possible to make calls with aircraft at destination airports from the Toki Air flight management base in the Niigata Airport building. .
Additionally, the system will be expanded in line with Toki Air’s planned expansion of destination airports.
The two companies plan to position this service as a platform that can be shared by regional airlines, and work together to expand its scope of use.

Toki Air plans to connect various regions with small aircraft. For example, they are aiming to launch flights to Sado Airport. NAR plans to support Toki Air through wireless services. Through these activities, the company hopes to promote the development of the airline business and regional revitalization starting from the airport.
”Similar to Toki Air, when an airline based at a local airport is established, we would like to provide the shared platform that we and Toki Air have built as ”Toki Air Model”. We would like to focus on controlling the planes that connect these airports and building a track record as an airline business with Toki Air,” says Mr. Otake.