Case Studies / Prague Airport Automates Aircraft Tracking with PlaneTracker

Prague Airport Automates Aircraft Tracking with PlaneTracker

22 Jul 2026 - 17:07

“Deploying the PlaneTracker App marks another step in the digitalization and modernization of Prague Airport’s security technologies. By combining automated aircraft tracking, intelligent video search, and information sharing between security and operational teams, we have gained a tool that helps us assess events more quickly, improve operational efficiency, and further strengthen the airport’s overall level of safety,” says Radek Brejcha, Security Technology Team Leader at Prague Airport.

About the Project

Václav Havel Airport Prague (PRG) is the largest international airport in the Czech Republic. With the growing volume of air traffic, there is an ever-increasing demand for security monitoring within the runway perimeter (RWY 06/24 and RWY 12/30) and for the effective investigation of operational incidents. Prague Airport decided to deploy an innovative, automated solution as part of its long-term effort to modernize surveillance technologies and connect camera systems with operational data.

The Challenge

The goal was to increase situational awareness and gain a detailed visual overview of aircraft movement within the airport area. The solution had to enable automated aircraft tracking without the need for constant operator intervention while simultaneously providing high-quality records for retrospective event evaluation. This required linking video recordings with metadata into the existing Genetec VMS (Video Management System).

Key technological and operational challenges included:

• Absence of automation: The need to automatically guide a PTZ (Pan-Tilt-Zoom) camera to a specific aircraft without human intervention.
• Complex incident retrieval: The lack of a link between video recordings and flight metadata hindered quick retrospective searches and integration with the Genetec VMS.
• Identification of specific risks: The need for early identification of runway risks, such as technical landing gear failures or bird strikes, in high resolution.
• Inter-agency coordination: The need to effectively share video feeds with Air Traffic Control (ATC) for a coordinated overview of the situation.
• New threats: The increasing risk associated with unauthorized drone movement and the need for future expansion to include drone tracking.

Technical Solution

The airport implemented an advanced edge solution from CamStreamer:

• Hardware: An AXIS Q6225-LE PTZ camera positioned near the runway.
• Data Source: An ADS-B receiver connected to the same local network as the camera.
• Software: The CamStreamerPlaneTracker App, running directly on the camera, which processes data from the ADS-B receiver and controls the movement and zoom of the camera.
• VMS Integration: Utilizing the PlaneTracker Genetec Plugin as the key method for monitoring aircraft on a map, controlling their tracking, and searching for aircraft recordings based on metadata from the PlaneTracker App.

How It Works

The PlaneTracker App processes GPS coordinates, altitude, and aircraft speed from the ADS-B receiver in real-time. Based on this data, it calculates the azimuth and tilt, automatically panning, zooming, and focusing the camera on the aircraft according to pre-set parameters. Users can configure tracking zones, priorities, and white/blacklists for aircraft. Additionally, operators can focus on a specific aircraft simply by clicking on it on the map, which instantly transmits the target coordinates to the camera.

The application overlays graphic infoboxes with flight details. The certified Genetec Plugin allows this information to be transferred directly into the Genetec environment, making it accessible to operators within their standard workflows. The ability to control the PlaneTracker App directly from this environment eliminates the need to switch between multiple applications, allowing operators to work more efficiently in situations where reaction speed is critical.

An operator can search for a specific flight using an ICAO code, flight number, or other metadata and retrieve the corresponding recording within seconds.

Key Benefits

• Instant search in recordings: By storing text metadata (registration, flight number) in the Genetec system, airport security can search for a recorded incident in seconds by entering aircraft details or the ICAO code.
• Monitoring bird strikes or technical defects: Continuous, smooth, detailed footage of the aircraft allows for immediate assessment during takeoff or landing to determine if a bird strike has occurred, if there is a visible technical defect on the aircraft, or if there is an obstacle on the runway, allowing for immediate action.
• Shared situational awareness: Sharing live footage with Air Traffic Control improves the overview of activity on the runway and increases overall operational safety.
• Better visual contact: Thanks to the camera's optics, the dispatcher can see the aircraft better than by looking at the sky from the control tower.

Conclusion

The deployment of the PlaneTracker App from CamStreamer successfully automated visual aircraft tracking at Prague Airport and significantly increased the level of situational awareness. Integrating flight metadata into the Genetec VMS system fundamentally accelerated incident investigation and streamlined coordination with Air Traffic Control. At the same time, this solution has provided a scalable platform prepared for future threats, including drone monitoring.

Case Studies / Prague Airport Automates Aircraft Tracking with PlaneTracker