In recent years, the Republic of Korea has been revamping its airport network to increase the commercial and cultural options available to air travelers. This includes building additional airports, redefining airport usage for cargo, local and international service and defining new routes.
Yangyang International Airport, which opened in April 2002, is a first-class airport by any standard. The airport includes a 2.5 km (1.6 mile) long runway and a 23,000 square meter (247,600 square foot) passenger terminal. Located in the tourist region of Kangwon province, reputedly Korea's number one tourist destination and a winter sports mecca, it is designed to accommodate the 49 million visitors to the region annually. The airport will also play a crucial role in the resumed relations between the Koreas, opening a direct air route between the countries. To control the 43,000 takeoffs and landings expected each year, the airport commissioned Sky Radio Co. Ltd. to install the air traffic management system.
At Yangyang, Sky Radio installed RAD's Megaplex-2100 multiplexers in the air traffic control (ATC) tower and at the radio sites to link the voice communication control system (VCCS) between them. The Megaplex units deliver 20 PCM voice channels (E&M interface) between sites for transmission to the airplanes, and four PCM voice channels (FXS-FXO interfaces) for telephony between the two sites.
"The communication links in such an environment must be highly reliable," explains J. W. Lee, Director of Sky Radio. "The Megaplex supports 50 millisecond protection switching on the fibre main link. Such dependability is a very important feature for applications such as airports," continues Lee. 
RAD multiplexers have also been installed in the ATC system of Korea's Incheon International airport, the largest airport in Asia, which is expected to be the hub airport for northeast Asia in the 21st century. Upon its completion in 2008, the airport's annual capacity is expected to reach 44 million passengers and 4.5 million tons of cargo, making it one of the top airports in the world in terms of cargo handling and passenger capacity. |
