Enabling Aviation Safety - Altair Solutions Enable Precision Auto-landing at Complex Airports

The German air navigation service provider Deutsche Flugsicherung GmbH (DFS) – in a joint project with Skyguide Swiss Air Navigation Services Ltd – needed to verify GBAS radio coverage at different heights on and around the airports of Frankfurt, Munich, and Zurich to ensure reliability. Using Altair® Feko®, including Altair® WinProp™ and a model of the Frankfurt airport the engineers calculated GBAS signal levels without needing to simplify the environment, resulting in an accurate signal propagation model. This simulation strategy allowed the team to assess how future structures, such as airport towers and docks, might affect radio coverage. This foresight enables the effective evaluation of alternative locations or adjustments to the GBAS station, ensuring optimal decision-making before construction begins. As a result, simulation empowered DFS and Skyguide to develop GBAS stations with confidence and enable safe, precise auto-landings.