Brisbane will be on the frontline of keeping Australian skies safe with Airservices Australia rolling out new technology in the nation’s first airspace management cell, to be run from the river city in 2026.
Airservices Australia Interim Chief Executive Officer Rob Sharp said the organisation had signed an agreement that would allow it to use market-leading airspace management software developed in the busy skies of Europe.
Mr Sharp said the Local and sub-regional airspace management support system (LARA) was an airspace reservation and booking tool, which improved collaborative decision making between air navigation service providers, Defence and industry.
He said it was already being used successfully across much of Europe.
“LARA will be the primary tool used in Australia’s first airspace management cell, the National Airspace Management Office in Brisbane, which will be jointly staffed by Airservices and Defence personnel when it becomes operational in early 2026.”
Mr Sharp said the agreement was another step towards the future of integrated civil-military air traffic management systems in Australia.
“The management of Australia’s airspace requires a balanced approach between the increasing demands of the civil aviation industry and military requirements.
“In addition to facilitating real-time information sharing and coordination between civil and military airspace users, this system will optimise the use of airspace which will bring benefits ranging from enhanced safety to reduced fuel consumption by aircraft.”
He said the user-friendly LARA system would enable authorised users to conduct a range of functions, including viewing airspace reservations, reviewing planning and airspace status, and accessing a large-scale graphical representation of which airspace was active at any given time.
“Rollout of the LARA tool to airspace users and authorities is expected in the second half of 2025, with completion targeted for early the following year.”
