DFS Aviation Services GmbH will take over flight information services at Emden Airport in October 2018. The DFS subsidiary concluded a contract with the airport operator in March.
DFS Aviation Services has acquired a new customer. As of 1 October 2018, the DFS subsidiary will provide Aerodrome Flight Information Services (AFIS) at Emden Airport. AFIS provides pilots with information about the weather, navigation aids and any restrictions at the airport. This ensures clear and uniform rules for safeguarding flight operations at smaller airports where traffic is not controlled by air traffic controllers. “We are looking forward to providing AFIS services at the airport and are grateful for the trust placed in us by the operator,” said Dirk Mahns, Managing Director of DFS Aviation Services.
Emden Airport, located in northwestern Germany near the Dutch border, is certified for aircraft up to 14 tons and has a 1,300-metre runway. It is equipped for instrument flight operations, but it also has a large number of visual flights. Helicopters flying to the nearby wind farms in the North Sea account for a large part of the traffic. Their share of the total traffic has increased sharply around 16,000 take-offs and landings were recorded in Emden in 2017, of which around 80 percent were commercial flights.
Due to this mixture of instrument and visual flights, Emden Airport is obliged to offer continuous AFIS services. “We are pleased to have DFS Aviation Services as an experienced partner at our side. With their support, we can focus on commercial opportunities and future challenges professionally,” said Olaf Schmidt, Managing Director of Emden Airport.
To offer flight information services at an airport in Germany, certification by the Federal Supervisory Authority for Air Navigation Services (BAF) is required. DFS Aviation Services is in the middle of the certification process, which should be finalised soon. As of this autumn, the company will provide these services with the help of a qualified team of existing staff from Emden Airport as well as its own experts. Job opportunities can be found on the career page of DFS Aviation Services.
Media contacts
Irina Wöhrmann
DFS Aviation Services GmbH
+49 (0)6103 3748 – 141
communication@dfs-as.aero
Olaf Schmidt
Flugplatz Emden GmbH
+49 (0)4921 393802
o.schmidt@flugplatz-emden.de
DFS Aviation Services GmbH is a wholly owned subsidiary of DFS, the German ANSP. It employs more than 110 members of staff. DFS Aviation Services is a certified ANSP and provides air traffic services at nine regional airports in Germany. Through its UK subsidiary, Air Navigation Solutions, it is also responsible for the provision of air traffic control at London Gatwick, the UK’s second busiest airport. DFS Aviation Services also markets and sells products and services related to air navigation services. Its customers include air navigation services organisations, airport operators, airlines and aeronautical authorities from around the world.
www.dfs-as.aero
Flugplatz Emden GmbH is a subsidiary of the Emden municipal utility company (Stadtwerke Emden). It operates Emden Airport, which is located in the northwest of Germany on the border with the Netherlands. It is certified for aircraft up to 14 tons and is equipped with a 1300 metre long and 30 metre wide runway. In 2013, Flugplatz Emden GmbH celebrated its 50th anniversary. The airport has a significant role to play in the region’s infrastructure. It is used for flights to the nearby islands, for business flights by local companies (e.g. Volkswagen) and by the offshore industry, which has grown considerably in recent years.
www.flugplatz-emden.de