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Brazil is going to be hosting the World Cup in 2014 and the Summer Olympic Games in 2016, two of the largest sporting events in the world. Although officials are very optimistic that the country will be ready for the World Cup, there are many outsiders who have their doubts.

Construction for many of the venues is still going on at a torrid pace in the hopes of finishing before the players and the hundreds of thousands of fans descend in Rio and the 11 cities hosting the games. Before they even get there, they will have to catch planes into the country and to the respective cities.

In order to ensure the safety of air travelers in the country, Brazil's traffic management agency Comissão de Implantação do Sistema (News - Alert) de Controle do Espaço Aéreo (CISCEA) is working with SITA to improve the traffic management technology by the technology in the air traffic control system infrastructure.

As the responsible body for developing and implementing new technologies for the Brazilian air navigation service provider, DECEA, CISCEA will be working with SITA to extend Departure Clearance (DCL) and Digital-Automatic Terminal Information Service (D-ATIS (News - Alert)) datalink services to 23 airports across Brazil. These platforms are already in place in at Antonio Carlos Jobim International Airport in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo’s GRU Airport.

"This investment is not only for these big events, but is part of SIRIUS, DECEA’s major modernization program. A cornerstone of this program is the delivery of datalink services at Brazil’s main airports to transform air traffic communications. We have been working with SITA over the past ten years and we are confident that the SITA team will deliver exactly what we need," said Major Brigadier Carlos Vuyk de Aquino, President of CISCEA.

This project which began in December of 2013, is expected to be completed in time for the 2016 Olympic Games by installing the devices in increments of four airports until they are all equipped with this technology. Using datalink, pilots are able to communicate with the control tower using text messaging to request departure clearance and real-time airport operational and weather information. By reducing the load on VHF voice frequency, DCL and DATIS increase the safety and efficiency of runway operations.

"Using datalink makes flying more efficient and even safer. The transmission of data in text format is highly reliable. It reduces workload for both air traffic controllers and pilots by improving the accuracy of their communications. And information can be transmitted at any phase of the flight, in advance of the busy time period of departure and approach," Philip Clinch, SITA Vice President of Aircraft Services.