A-SMGCS (Advanced-Surface Movement and Guidance Control System) is the term used to describe a modular system made up of different functions, the objective of which is to meet the capacity demands of airports through the orderly, fast and safe movement of aircraft and vehicles, regardless of visibility, traffic density or airport complexity.

Reduced airport capacity, mainly due to adverse weather conditions, but also due to saturation of facilities, can lead to bottlenecks and heavy financial losses.

In response to the regulatory needs in this field, the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) has defined “Operational Requirements for A-SMGCS Systems”, the objective of which is to provide a documentary basis for the gradual introduction of this concept at those airports whose characteristics make it advisable, as well as for the development of the technological framework that will support the implementation of these systems.

For ICAO, A-SMGCS is the term describing ‘a modular system, composed of different functions to support the safe, orderly and expeditious movement of aircraft and vehicles at aerodromes under all circumstances with respect to visibility conditions, traffic density and aerodrome complexity, taking into account the required capacity under various visibility conditions’. This is therefore the evolution of the SMGCS.