Aeronautical Message Handling System (AMHS) is a standard for aeronautical ground-ground communications (e.g. for the transmission of NOTAM, Flight Plans or Meteorological Data) based on X.400 profiles. It has been defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). In order to facilitate the transition from legacy protocols to this new standard EUROCONTROL with its European member states launched an ambitious project called ECG (European or EATM Communications Gateway) to develop a gateway between AFTN (Aeronautical Fixed Telecommunication Network) and AMHS. The ECG was developed by the French manufacturer THALES and the German manufacturer COMSOFT. Similar solutions have been developed by the Spanish manufacturer TELEFONICA, Ubitech of Canada, and the German manufacturer AVITECH. Several AMHS systems in Europe installed in Austria, the United Kingdom, Germany (Civil), at EUROCONTROL sites in Belgium and France, Portugal and Macedonia are derived from the ECG or implemented based on similar solutions in Spain and Germany (Military).
The first AMHS system went into operational use in 1996 with 36 centers for the German Military and the first AMHS connection in Europe is in operational use since February 2005 between the Air Navigation Service Providers of Germany and Spain. The Air Naviation Service Provider of the Republic of Korea using AMHS since 2002 whereby Taiwan since 2005, as is Argentina, the first country in Latin America to use AMHS, with software provided by Radiocom, followed by Paraguay in 2007. Australia, Philippines, Singapore, the Arabian Emirates, Hungary and Tunesia will be ready for AMHS in 2007. Ubitech will installing its AMHS systems in Jamaica and in Kuwait during 2007.
In order to ensure unobstructed communication between the ANSPs, the European Air Navigation Planning Group (EANPG) of ICAO has defined 51 test cases in its EUR AMHS Manual (Appendix D), which have to be performed prior to establishment of bilateral links between the ANSPs. Those tests are conducted using a test engine (AMHS Conformace Test Tool) and verify the conformance to the AMHS standard, which is defined in ICAO Doc 9705-AN/956: The Manual of technical provisions for the ATN, Sub-volume III. X.400 is a suite of ITU-T Recommendations that define standards for Data Communication Networks for Message Handling Systems (MHS) — more commonly known as E-mail. While X.400 never achieved the universal presence of Internet e-mail, it has seen use within organizations, and as part of proprietary... The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), an agency of the United Nations, codifies the principles and techniques of international air navigation and fosters the planning and development of international air transport to ensure safe and orderly growth. ... EUROCONTROL is the European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation, an international organisation whose primary objective is the development of a seamless, pan-European Air Traffic Management (ATM) system. ... An Air Navigation Service Provider (ANSP) is a body that manages aviation related traffic in a block of airspace on behalf of a company, region or country. ...

External links

• AMHS naming
• Routing Policy for AMHS in Asia/Pacific region
• ECG European ATM Communications Gateway
• Alternative Solution to ECG
• AMHS Conformance Test Tool