Hitech landing facility on three runways to reduce flight delays

Flyers may expect less number of flight delays during fog this winter, with all the three runways of the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport in Delhi being equipped with the Instrumental Landing System. The second runway, after the recarpeting work and installation of Category I ILS, is ready and in operation from November 18. We will now have all three runways for operations during fog,. an IGI Airport spokesperson said. 

By February next year, the Airports Authority of India (AAI), which is in charge of the runways, would also finish the installation of ILS on Dwarka side, he said. After the recarpeting and installation of CAT-I ILS, which cost around Rs 30 crore and was not part of Operation, Management and Development Agreement (OMDA), the runway would be available for landing of CATI compliant aircraft when the visibility is up to 550 metres. .Earlier, this runway could not be used even during mild fog, when visibility was more than 550 metres, as it could be used only when the visibility was more than 1,600 metres,. the spokesperson said. In order to make the main runway (28/10) available for operations under the Category III-B fog, when the visibility drops up to 50 metres, airport operator, Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL), will undertake photometric test of the runway lightings.
(By Skyline College)



We have started preventive maintenance on main runway (28/10) from Saturday which will continue for 10 days. It would be carried out for four hours daily, during non-peak hours,. the airport official said. Later, when the fog is over, the DIAL will undertake recarpeting work of the main runway, which is due since late 80s. .The recarpeting work on main runway would be over by the end of June next year, so that when the new terminal building is commissioned in July, all the three runways are available, the airport official said. 

The Government, in an effort to reduce congestion and passenger inconvenience during the fog, has asked all airlines to deploy their CAT-II/III compliant aircraft during fog hours in the morning during winter season. Also DIAL has made available 55 CAT-III compliant bays, out of which 36 are for domestic flights. They have been asked not to allocate CAT-III-equipped parking stand at domestic apron area for CAT-III non-compliant aircraft.



MBA, BBA, Mass Communication and Travel & Tourism institute in Delhi and Gurgaon.