UK - Glitches Delay Opening of Air Control Center

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Glitches still bugging air control centre

There are still 200 computer 'bugs' to be dealt with before a much-delayed new #623 million air traffic control centre can open.

But air traffic services' chiefs say the 'bug count' is rapidly reducing and they are confident the January, 2002, revised opening time for the Swanwick centre in Hampshire can be met.

The extent of the bugs is outlined in the latest edition of Computer Weekly. The magazine says is doubtful that Swanwick, which should have opened in 1996, will now be ready.

A spokesman for National Air Traffic Services said today: "Computer Weekly learnt of the 200 so-called bugs from us. In May, 1999, there were 1,400 bugs and, in May this year, this number had gone down to 500. Now it's 200.

"We are continuing to make considerable progress to get Swanwick operational. We would not have announced an opening date if we were not confident of meeting it."

Swanwick, near Southampton, will handle most of the work done by the control centre at West Drayton, near Heathrow airport.

Repeated computer problems have led to Swanwick's opening date slipping further and further back, and the cost of the centre has rocketed from around #350 million to the current #623 million.

The NATS spokesman says Swanwick will actually be technically ready on December 20, but it will take around 12 months to train staff on the new, high-tech systems.

Former transport minister Gavin Strang said the private companies managing the system must now answer some questions.

"We can't just go on and on and on like this," the Labour MP told BBC Radio 4's Today programme. "We need transparency, we need to know why they can't bring this system on stream, on time."

Last updated: 09:48 Thursday 10th August 2000.

http://www.ananova.com/news/story/uk_air-travel-technology_931585.html

-- (Dee360degree@aol.com), August 10, 2000


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