It's boom time for India's aviation sector, but that's hardly cause for cheer if you're an air traffic controller (ATC). Their shortage has been pegged at 600 and it's only set to get worse with the explosion in air traffic. This, in a profession where one wrong move, one momentary lapse can send numerous lives downward in a spiral of death.
The country has 1,500 ATCs, the requirement is for 2,100. The Roy Paul Committee, which looked into air traffic management in 2005, reported over 200 ATC vacancies. Three years later, the gap has widened three times.
‘‘Air traffic in India is hardly one-tenth what it is in developed nations,'' says a senior pilot. ‘‘And yet, we still don't have the infrastructure and personnel to keep pace with development.'' What's AAI's response to this? (ATCs come under it.) GM V Somasundaram kept stonewalling this reporter. A query about their hiring plans elicited this combative reply, ‘‘Why do you want to know about ATCs? Do I ask you about your organisation? This is an internal matter.'' Not if it involves the lives of numerous air passengers!
India could take a leaf from FAA's book. Its site has a detailed 55-page document which gives a 10-year strategy for US ATCs, including staffing requirements, hiring plans, training and funding.
The pressure on ATCs is immense. Mumbai and Delhi handle about 720 and 700 flight movements daily, up from 500 and 450 three years back. And if the horizontal distance between planes is reduced from some five nautical miles to three as has been proposed, the pressure would increase. Here's the ground situation...
TRAINING: ATCs handle three areas: Radar, tower and en route. Radar is the toughest; it takes over three years to become a controller here. And though there have been recruitments, it hasn't made much of a dent. The basic qualification for an ATC is B.Tech (telecom/electronics/radio engineering) or MSc in electronics. The training at the Civil Aviation Training College, Allahabad, lasts six months. It has 12 simulators, each of which can train only 10 people at a time, says K N Srivastava, joint secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation. "So in a year, only around 300 can be trained. But the shortfall is 600." The college is also short of instructors. ‘‘No good controller wants to become one as they have to slave it out, what with refresher courses, general duties, etc,'' says a source. "Also, there's a general shortfall of engineers as many prefer MNCs. Some of the applicants can't even speak proper English." Transfers too are skewed. Sometimes, radar controllers are sent to stations which don't even have radars.
SOLUTION: Change the eligibility criteria. You don't need engineers when any articulate, bright science graduate would do. There's a move to recruit such people, says Srivastava, as has been done in European countries. Also, dedicated instructors are a must. There are plans for another academy in Hyderabad.
TIME FACTOR: Recruitment is through ads. That takes time. Even after training, it takes about two years to acquire minimum skills. "But it's important we don't compromise on quality,'' says an old-timer. The training used to be for a year earlier, now it's been reduced to six months."
SOLUTION: Why advertise when campus recruitment is quicker? That's on the cards now.
AUTOMATION: It's lacking in most airports. Secondary Surveillance Radars, which identify flight numbers and altitude, are available only in big cities. Pilots also ask why the Air Traffic Flow Management System hasn't been implemented. Here, a Central Flow Management Unit balances the number of flights with available ATC capacity and helps prevent congestion. With each airline burning some 10 hours of fuel daily due to congestion, this is the need of the hour.
Thermal printers, which give details of a flight's progress, too aren't available at all airports. In some places, ATCs calculate manually. Also, radars have been installed only in about 12 airports.
SOLUTION: There is a move to reduce verbal communication between pilots and ATCs (which can be misinterpreted) by laying down instructions on computers, says Srivastava. "Also, Indian air space, presently divided into four Flight Information Regions, will be reduced to two (Delhi, Mumbai). Often, a pilot entering a new FIR has no information of congestion there. The new FIRs will handle the entire load of the country. These solutions will take a year to be implemented."
JOB PANGS : Initial attrition rates in this high-tension job are pegged at 10-15%. Salaries and job prospects are sore issues. An ATC takes about 10-12 years to become a manager. Salaries start from Rs 20,000 and can go up to Rs 75,000, low by international standards. Add to this the stress factor: ‘‘Numerous shifts, recalcitrant pilots who don't follow speed controls, phone calls to give priority to certain flights...it's strenuous,'' says one.
Consider a typical day of an ATC: keeping a hawk's eye on the monitor as planes inch towards the airport, firing instructions at 100 words/minute to pilots, asking emergency services to stand by for a distressed flight...you have to be cool, clinical, detached. The stress often results in ulcers, hypertension and heart problems. Says a senior pilot, ‘‘I ask my colleagues not to argue with ATCs. They're doing a good job considering the constraints.''
SOLUTION: There's a move to license ATCs. There are also calls to make air traffic control a separate entity, immune to interference. That may seem radical, but it's an idea whose time has come.
Taken from
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Opinion/Sunday_Specials/Special_Report/Mayday_ATC_shortage_spells_turbulence/articleshow/2964413.cms
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Committee recommends Indian air navigation overhaul
The committee was established in March last year with a brief to formulate a masterplan for the further development of India's air navigation services, which have been under great strain in recent years as the domestic air transport market has been growing rapidly.
Flight delays have become much more common in India as a result of air traffic capacity issues, which airlines largely blame on inefficient procedures.
Headed by civil aviation secretary Ajay Prasad, the committee has now presented its report to the minister for civil aviation and is recommending that the number of flight information regions is reduced to two from four, with area control centres located at Delhi and Mumbai.
It also recommends that Airports Authority of India "immediately review air traffic control procedures being followed at various airports, especially at metro airports, and initiate action to increase the capacity of handling air traffic".
The committee says that air traffic control-related delays of more than 5min "should be considered as significant and the capacity to handle the air traffic should be determined accordingly".
In addition to recommending a further modernisation of voice communication, datalink communication, navigation, surveillance and weather services systems, the committee is calling for more airspace that is currently set aside for defence use to be opened up for civilian use.
"A high-level committee of the government should be constituted for common use of Indian airspace and for working out ways of flexible use of airspace. The committee feels that the IAF [Indian Air Force] should review the restricted and danger areas expeditiously," it says.
"As a first step, the airspace above 29,000ft [8,850m] could be released for civil traffic in the presently defined restricted/danger airspace.
Flight delays have become much more common in India as a result of air traffic capacity issues, which airlines largely blame on inefficient procedures.
Headed by civil aviation secretary Ajay Prasad, the committee has now presented its report to the minister for civil aviation and is recommending that the number of flight information regions is reduced to two from four, with area control centres located at Delhi and Mumbai.
It also recommends that Airports Authority of India "immediately review air traffic control procedures being followed at various airports, especially at metro airports, and initiate action to increase the capacity of handling air traffic".
The committee says that air traffic control-related delays of more than 5min "should be considered as significant and the capacity to handle the air traffic should be determined accordingly".
In addition to recommending a further modernisation of voice communication, datalink communication, navigation, surveillance and weather services systems, the committee is calling for more airspace that is currently set aside for defence use to be opened up for civilian use.
"A high-level committee of the government should be constituted for common use of Indian airspace and for working out ways of flexible use of airspace. The committee feels that the IAF [Indian Air Force] should review the restricted and danger areas expeditiously," it says.
"As a first step, the airspace above 29,000ft [8,850m] could be released for civil traffic in the presently defined restricted/danger airspace.
Shortage of ATCO's
Air Traffic Control (ATC), the important arm of the Airports Authority of India (AAI) that manages and regulates aircraft movement in Indian skies, has been facing a manpower shortage for some years now. However, the problem has become serious of late and repercussions are expected to be felt soon. ATC officials, who have been doing double shifts several times in a week to make up for shortage of staff, have refused to do so, effective March 14.
Though the move has not affected air traffic yet, officials say if things continue the way they are, simultaneous use of both runways could also be hit, upsetting air schedules and resulting in massive delays. Such a situation, said officials, arose just after the ATCOs stopped reporting for extra duties for about two days when simultaneous use of runways was suspended for a few hours each day.
AAI official V Somasundaram, however, denied the reports and said there could have been some confusion over the issue as the order that directed officials to put in extra hours was to expire on March 31. ‘‘The order however was renewed last week so there is no question of ATCOs not reporting for extra work. They have been very cooperative all this time and we have not faced any problems. Till the time we are comfortably placed as far as manpower is concerned, this order will be extended,'' he said.
ATCOs normally do six-hour shifts, but many of them were allegedly being asked to work another shift to make up for manpower shortage. According to sources, since the management did not want simultaneous use of runways affected, they had pulled out men from other duties and rostered them for tower duties. Consequently, several important services did not have a single person overlooking the work.
Confirming that such double shifts had indeed stopped from March 14, sources at the airport said refusal of ATCOs to put in extra hours could be pressure tactics they were using to have their demands of higher pay and less workload looked into. ATC has been suffering a massive manpower shortage for a few years and even Somasundaram accepted that with air traffic having grown and extra facilities being provided to airlines and passengers, pressure on the ATC was indeed a lot.
‘‘We have been recruiting extensively in the past few months but seeing the rate at which air traffic is growing, we need more people. However, extra duties are not the norm and only when someone is on leave and we need urgent replacement, we ask officials to work extra,'' he said.
Though the move has not affected air traffic yet, officials say if things continue the way they are, simultaneous use of both runways could also be hit, upsetting air schedules and resulting in massive delays. Such a situation, said officials, arose just after the ATCOs stopped reporting for extra duties for about two days when simultaneous use of runways was suspended for a few hours each day.
AAI official V Somasundaram, however, denied the reports and said there could have been some confusion over the issue as the order that directed officials to put in extra hours was to expire on March 31. ‘‘The order however was renewed last week so there is no question of ATCOs not reporting for extra work. They have been very cooperative all this time and we have not faced any problems. Till the time we are comfortably placed as far as manpower is concerned, this order will be extended,'' he said.
ATCOs normally do six-hour shifts, but many of them were allegedly being asked to work another shift to make up for manpower shortage. According to sources, since the management did not want simultaneous use of runways affected, they had pulled out men from other duties and rostered them for tower duties. Consequently, several important services did not have a single person overlooking the work.
Confirming that such double shifts had indeed stopped from March 14, sources at the airport said refusal of ATCOs to put in extra hours could be pressure tactics they were using to have their demands of higher pay and less workload looked into. ATC has been suffering a massive manpower shortage for a few years and even Somasundaram accepted that with air traffic having grown and extra facilities being provided to airlines and passengers, pressure on the ATC was indeed a lot.
‘‘We have been recruiting extensively in the past few months but seeing the rate at which air traffic is growing, we need more people. However, extra duties are not the norm and only when someone is on leave and we need urgent replacement, we ask officials to work extra,'' he said.
e-navigation for safety in sky
Even as a new runway is coming up at the IGI airport to ease traffic congestion, the air traffic control (ATC) is in the process of finalizing a procedure that will reduce risks of accidents in air even further. The performance based navigational system (PBNS) is in the final stages of its draft form and should be in place by June.
The PBNS, being used in south Asia for the first time, will be made operational in Delhi and Mumbai simultaneously.
At present, the procedure that defines the height to be maintained by aircraft at a particular distance from the runway and in relation to other aircraft exists on paper. With the new system in place, this will be available to the pilot in his cockpit through a computer program.
"There are computers in the cockpit and the procedure to be maintained will be fed into that. Depending on which city the aircraft is going to and on which runway it has to land, the pilot can choose the particular option and instructions will be there before him to follow," said a senior official.
The process, say officials, will reduce the interface between pilots and air traffic controllers, making the flying system more organized and smooth. "ATCs often have problems since, due to a shortage in their numbers and a large number of operations, they talk to more than one pilot at a time. This often led to confusion when they had to give directions. PBNS will solve that since pilots will have their position and the altitude they need to maintain at that point, plus distance from other aircraft right in front of them," said an ATC official.
The system, in place for about a year, is already in use in the US and four persons from AAI recently went there for training under the Federal Aviation Administration. These four have been developing the software to suit Indian needs. "We will have discussions with pilots and airlines to fine tune the system and implement it in other parts of the country in a phased manner. When in place, it will also help accommodate more flights per hour," said the official.
Airlines are also happy with the decision, saying this will bring about more transparency in the system.
"In the manual process, one never knew when which flight would be given clearance for landing first. It was done randomly earlier, with no consideration for which aircraft was first in priority. Now, with system being followed, this should not be a problem," said a pilot. Pilots who will have to operate this system will need certification by the directorate general of civil aviation.
The PBNS, being used in south Asia for the first time, will be made operational in Delhi and Mumbai simultaneously.
At present, the procedure that defines the height to be maintained by aircraft at a particular distance from the runway and in relation to other aircraft exists on paper. With the new system in place, this will be available to the pilot in his cockpit through a computer program.
"There are computers in the cockpit and the procedure to be maintained will be fed into that. Depending on which city the aircraft is going to and on which runway it has to land, the pilot can choose the particular option and instructions will be there before him to follow," said a senior official.
The process, say officials, will reduce the interface between pilots and air traffic controllers, making the flying system more organized and smooth. "ATCs often have problems since, due to a shortage in their numbers and a large number of operations, they talk to more than one pilot at a time. This often led to confusion when they had to give directions. PBNS will solve that since pilots will have their position and the altitude they need to maintain at that point, plus distance from other aircraft right in front of them," said an ATC official.
The system, in place for about a year, is already in use in the US and four persons from AAI recently went there for training under the Federal Aviation Administration. These four have been developing the software to suit Indian needs. "We will have discussions with pilots and airlines to fine tune the system and implement it in other parts of the country in a phased manner. When in place, it will also help accommodate more flights per hour," said the official.
Airlines are also happy with the decision, saying this will bring about more transparency in the system.
"In the manual process, one never knew when which flight would be given clearance for landing first. It was done randomly earlier, with no consideration for which aircraft was first in priority. Now, with system being followed, this should not be a problem," said a pilot. Pilots who will have to operate this system will need certification by the directorate general of civil aviation.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
AJAY PRASAD COMMITTEE SUBMITS MASTER PLAN ON AIR NAVIGATION
The Minister for Civil Aviation, Shri Praful Patel today received the Report of the Committee under the Chairmanship of Shri Ajay Prasad which had been set up for formulating a Master Plan for Next Generation Futuristic Air Navigation Services. The Committee had been set up on 20th March, 2007.
The Committee has made several recommendations on various aspects of Air Navigation Services:
The Committee has recommended that the Airports Authority of India (AAI) should immediately implement the International standards of International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) which stipulates that Air Traffic Flow Management shall be implemented for airspace where air traffic demand at times exceeds capacity. The Committee has also stressed that Automation is essential and there are a number of solutions available like Terminal automation, Integrated Automation, Intergraded Oceanic, Strategic Flight Planning across airspace etc.
On Airspace Management, the Committee recommends that AAI should consolidate airspace from the existing four Flight Information Region (FIRs) to two FIRs with two Area Control Centres, one at Delhi and the other at Mumbai. The Airspace should be an integrated one with automated Air Traffic Management (ATM) system and have networked Radars and Very High Frequencies (VHFs).
The Committee has recommended that AAI should immediately review Air Traffic Control (ATC) Procedures being followed at various airports, especially at Metro Airports and initiate action to increase the capacity of handling air traffic. AAI should take this as a continuous exercise and strive to achieve optimization of the procedures. AAI should also implement these Area Navigation (RNAV) and Required Navigation Performance (RNP) procedures at Mumbai and Delhi as soon as they are finalized.
In this regard, on ATC delays, the Committee has said that an ATC delay of more than five minutes should be considered as significant and the capacity to handle the air traffic should be determined accordingly. Once a capacity is analyzed scientifically, the system should not be overloaded.
On Voice Communication System (VCS), the Committee has said that the AAI plan to complete VHF coverage through out the continental space at a height 20,000 feet and above should be implemented on priority by May, 2008. To meet the International Standards of ICAO, AAI should provide VHF coverage in Area Control Centres which have been declared as Class ‘D’ airspace and are required to provide VHF coverage to all Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) and Visual Flight Rules (VFR) flights. AAI should use the Dedicated Satellite Communication Network (DSCN) for operating the Remote Control Air to Ground (RCAG) VHF equipments.
On Data Link Communication Systems, the Committee has recommended that AAI should upgrade the Automatic Terminal Information Service (ATIS) facility to Digital Automatic Information Service (DATIS) facility having both Voice and Data Link capabilities at the earliest. AAI should provide Data link Application for departure clearances and facility for data communication link to communicate with all Air Traffic service units – especially for Mumbai and Delhi by August, 2008.
On Navigation Systems, the Committee has said that the Area Navigation and the Required Navigation Performance (RNP) routes which significantly enhance the capacity of air space, should be adopted by AAI for both domestic and international routes. The AAI should on priority design and provide Approaches with Vertical Guidance for runways not equipped with Instrumental Landing Systems (ILS). AAI should also install Ground Based Augmentation System (GBAS) at Delhi and Mumbai airports.
On Surveillance Systems, the Committee has recommended that the AAI should operationalise Behrampur Radar immediately by using dedicated Satellite Communication System. AAI should install all 10 Radars on priority as it helps reducing the spacing of aircraft and increasing the capacity of airspace. AAI should network all Radars by 2008-09 and the 10 new Radars being procured should be commissioned in the network permitting them to operate from the Area Control Centres of Delhi and Mumbai.
On Air Traffic Services (ATSs), the Committee has said that the Air Traffic Control Officers (ATCOs) should be provided standardized functional capabilities of Air Traffic Services support systems like conflict prediction, detection, advisory and resolution needs.
The Committee recommends that the Flexible Use of Airspace should be accepted as underline basis for optimizing the use of Indian airspace for meeting the needs of both military and civil aviation for the country, which has been accepted by the Ministry of Defence and the Indian Air Force (IAF). A high-level committee of the Government should be constituted for common use of Indian airspace and for working out ways of flexible use of airspace. The Committee feels that the IAF should review the Restricted and Danger Areas expeditiously.
As a first step, the airspace above 29,000 feet could be released for civil traffic in the presently defined restricted/danger airspace. The Defence requirements would have a priority of not only increasing their height requirements but also expanding the restricted airspace, whenever required. To divert the planned civilian traffic and not to cause undue hardship to passengers, a notice of at least 24 hours would need to be given. The normal air Defence traffic would continue to use the upper airspace above 29,000 feet along with the civilian air traffic as at present.
On Aviation Weather Services, the Committee has stressed upon the necessity for seamless bi-directional flow of Met-Data between the Meteorological Department and AAI. It has recommended the setting up of a National Aviation Meteorological Centre (NAMC) under the Indian Meteorological Department to meet aviation weather requirements of all stakeholders. There should a provision of web based meteorological briefing system to enable user agency to have direct access to weather information. The Committee has also recommended clear demarcation of the dual functional responsibilities of AAI as an ‘Aerodrome Operator’ and of an Air Navigation Service provider.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation will now considered the recommendations of the Committee.
The Committee has made several recommendations on various aspects of Air Navigation Services:
The Committee has recommended that the Airports Authority of India (AAI) should immediately implement the International standards of International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) which stipulates that Air Traffic Flow Management shall be implemented for airspace where air traffic demand at times exceeds capacity. The Committee has also stressed that Automation is essential and there are a number of solutions available like Terminal automation, Integrated Automation, Intergraded Oceanic, Strategic Flight Planning across airspace etc.
On Airspace Management, the Committee recommends that AAI should consolidate airspace from the existing four Flight Information Region (FIRs) to two FIRs with two Area Control Centres, one at Delhi and the other at Mumbai. The Airspace should be an integrated one with automated Air Traffic Management (ATM) system and have networked Radars and Very High Frequencies (VHFs).
The Committee has recommended that AAI should immediately review Air Traffic Control (ATC) Procedures being followed at various airports, especially at Metro Airports and initiate action to increase the capacity of handling air traffic. AAI should take this as a continuous exercise and strive to achieve optimization of the procedures. AAI should also implement these Area Navigation (RNAV) and Required Navigation Performance (RNP) procedures at Mumbai and Delhi as soon as they are finalized.
In this regard, on ATC delays, the Committee has said that an ATC delay of more than five minutes should be considered as significant and the capacity to handle the air traffic should be determined accordingly. Once a capacity is analyzed scientifically, the system should not be overloaded.
On Voice Communication System (VCS), the Committee has said that the AAI plan to complete VHF coverage through out the continental space at a height 20,000 feet and above should be implemented on priority by May, 2008. To meet the International Standards of ICAO, AAI should provide VHF coverage in Area Control Centres which have been declared as Class ‘D’ airspace and are required to provide VHF coverage to all Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) and Visual Flight Rules (VFR) flights. AAI should use the Dedicated Satellite Communication Network (DSCN) for operating the Remote Control Air to Ground (RCAG) VHF equipments.
On Data Link Communication Systems, the Committee has recommended that AAI should upgrade the Automatic Terminal Information Service (ATIS) facility to Digital Automatic Information Service (DATIS) facility having both Voice and Data Link capabilities at the earliest. AAI should provide Data link Application for departure clearances and facility for data communication link to communicate with all Air Traffic service units – especially for Mumbai and Delhi by August, 2008.
On Navigation Systems, the Committee has said that the Area Navigation and the Required Navigation Performance (RNP) routes which significantly enhance the capacity of air space, should be adopted by AAI for both domestic and international routes. The AAI should on priority design and provide Approaches with Vertical Guidance for runways not equipped with Instrumental Landing Systems (ILS). AAI should also install Ground Based Augmentation System (GBAS) at Delhi and Mumbai airports.
On Surveillance Systems, the Committee has recommended that the AAI should operationalise Behrampur Radar immediately by using dedicated Satellite Communication System. AAI should install all 10 Radars on priority as it helps reducing the spacing of aircraft and increasing the capacity of airspace. AAI should network all Radars by 2008-09 and the 10 new Radars being procured should be commissioned in the network permitting them to operate from the Area Control Centres of Delhi and Mumbai.
On Air Traffic Services (ATSs), the Committee has said that the Air Traffic Control Officers (ATCOs) should be provided standardized functional capabilities of Air Traffic Services support systems like conflict prediction, detection, advisory and resolution needs.
The Committee recommends that the Flexible Use of Airspace should be accepted as underline basis for optimizing the use of Indian airspace for meeting the needs of both military and civil aviation for the country, which has been accepted by the Ministry of Defence and the Indian Air Force (IAF). A high-level committee of the Government should be constituted for common use of Indian airspace and for working out ways of flexible use of airspace. The Committee feels that the IAF should review the Restricted and Danger Areas expeditiously.
As a first step, the airspace above 29,000 feet could be released for civil traffic in the presently defined restricted/danger airspace. The Defence requirements would have a priority of not only increasing their height requirements but also expanding the restricted airspace, whenever required. To divert the planned civilian traffic and not to cause undue hardship to passengers, a notice of at least 24 hours would need to be given. The normal air Defence traffic would continue to use the upper airspace above 29,000 feet along with the civilian air traffic as at present.
On Aviation Weather Services, the Committee has stressed upon the necessity for seamless bi-directional flow of Met-Data between the Meteorological Department and AAI. It has recommended the setting up of a National Aviation Meteorological Centre (NAMC) under the Indian Meteorological Department to meet aviation weather requirements of all stakeholders. There should a provision of web based meteorological briefing system to enable user agency to have direct access to weather information. The Committee has also recommended clear demarcation of the dual functional responsibilities of AAI as an ‘Aerodrome Operator’ and of an Air Navigation Service provider.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation will now considered the recommendations of the Committee.
Friday, March 21, 2008
JOKE: Air Traffic (out of) Control
During a taxi, the crew of a US Air departure flight to Ft. Lauderdale made a wrong turn and came nose-to-nose with a United 727. The irate ground controller (a female) lashed out at the US Air crew screaming, "US Air 2771, where are you going? I told you to turn right on 'Charlie' taxi way; you turned right on 'Delta.' Stop right there. I know it's difficult to tell the difference between a C and a D, but get it right."
Continuing her lashing to the embarrassed crew, she was now shouting hysterically, "You've screwed everything up; it'll take forever to sort this out. You stay right there and don't move until I tell you to. You can expect progressive taxi instructions in about a half hour, and I want you to go exactly where I tell you, when I tell you, and how I tell you. You got that, US Air 2771?"
Naturally, the "ground control" frequency went terribly silent until an unknown male pilot broke the silence and asked, "Wasn't I married to you once?"
Continuing her lashing to the embarrassed crew, she was now shouting hysterically, "You've screwed everything up; it'll take forever to sort this out. You stay right there and don't move until I tell you to. You can expect progressive taxi instructions in about a half hour, and I want you to go exactly where I tell you, when I tell you, and how I tell you. You got that, US Air 2771?"
Naturally, the "ground control" frequency went terribly silent until an unknown male pilot broke the silence and asked, "Wasn't I married to you once?"
Thursday, March 20, 2008
GHIAL to halve handling fees
Ministry softens towards domestic carriers.
GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd (GHIAL), the consortium operating the new Hyderabad airport, today offered to halve ground-handling charges even as the civil aviation ministry allowed the domestic carriers to undertake their ground-handling till January 1, 2009.
This will give the two sides enough time to resolve the contentious issue, which almost jeopardised the opening of the new airport and forced a postponement once.
“The ministry has allowed the airlines to do their own ground-handling till such time as the issue over high rates is resolved between the airlines and the new service providers,” said Rajesh Verma, executive vice-president, Kingfisher Airlines, to Business Standard. The development took place late tonight.
To compensate for the loss to the ground-handling companies — Menzies Bobba Aviation and a consortium of Air India-Singapore Airport Terminal Services(SATS) — the airport developer has also decided to forego its 25 per cent share of revenues.
These moves follow strong protests from domestic carriers against the airport’s original decision to charge a stiff Rs 19,000 per aircraft.
Domestic airlines had also opposed the government’s move to disallow them from operating their own ground-handling operations and compulsorily outsource to companies mandated by the airport operator, a demand that has now been conceded to by the government.
GHIAL had reduced rates to Rs 12,500 for low-cost carrier SpiceJet in the last couple of weeks and has now offered a further cut to Rs 9,500.
However, face-off continued with the two unable to come to an agreement over ground-handling charges three days ahead of commercial operations.
But with the carriers being allowed to do their own ground- handling, there will be enough time for the two sides to come to a settlement on the issue after January 1, 2009.
GHIAL said an amicable agreement will be reached but airline executives said today’s new offer is still much higher than what they spend on their own ground-handling services.
Hectic negotiations were on between carriers and ground-handling companies and the price could be brought down to between Rs 7,000 and Rs 8,000.
At the moment airlines which undertake their own ground handling spend around Rs 5,000 to Rs 6,000 per flight. If they outsource, prevailing rates in airports like Mumbai and Delhi are around Rs 8,000.
Said Wolsgang Prock-Schauer, CEO of Jet Airways, the country’s largest private airline: “We have not signed a ground-handling agreement with GHIAL. Their costs are too high, we want to continue self handling and we are prepared for that.”
New airport to start on March 23
The new Hyderabad airport has received a notification from the ministry of civil aviation to start operations from March 23. The airport, the first of the new facilities under the public-private model to start operations, was originally meant to start on March 16.
http://www.business-standard.com
GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd (GHIAL), the consortium operating the new Hyderabad airport, today offered to halve ground-handling charges even as the civil aviation ministry allowed the domestic carriers to undertake their ground-handling till January 1, 2009.
This will give the two sides enough time to resolve the contentious issue, which almost jeopardised the opening of the new airport and forced a postponement once.
“The ministry has allowed the airlines to do their own ground-handling till such time as the issue over high rates is resolved between the airlines and the new service providers,” said Rajesh Verma, executive vice-president, Kingfisher Airlines, to Business Standard. The development took place late tonight.
To compensate for the loss to the ground-handling companies — Menzies Bobba Aviation and a consortium of Air India-Singapore Airport Terminal Services(SATS) — the airport developer has also decided to forego its 25 per cent share of revenues.
These moves follow strong protests from domestic carriers against the airport’s original decision to charge a stiff Rs 19,000 per aircraft.
Domestic airlines had also opposed the government’s move to disallow them from operating their own ground-handling operations and compulsorily outsource to companies mandated by the airport operator, a demand that has now been conceded to by the government.
GHIAL had reduced rates to Rs 12,500 for low-cost carrier SpiceJet in the last couple of weeks and has now offered a further cut to Rs 9,500.
However, face-off continued with the two unable to come to an agreement over ground-handling charges three days ahead of commercial operations.
But with the carriers being allowed to do their own ground- handling, there will be enough time for the two sides to come to a settlement on the issue after January 1, 2009.
GHIAL said an amicable agreement will be reached but airline executives said today’s new offer is still much higher than what they spend on their own ground-handling services.
Hectic negotiations were on between carriers and ground-handling companies and the price could be brought down to between Rs 7,000 and Rs 8,000.
At the moment airlines which undertake their own ground handling spend around Rs 5,000 to Rs 6,000 per flight. If they outsource, prevailing rates in airports like Mumbai and Delhi are around Rs 8,000.
Said Wolsgang Prock-Schauer, CEO of Jet Airways, the country’s largest private airline: “We have not signed a ground-handling agreement with GHIAL. Their costs are too high, we want to continue self handling and we are prepared for that.”
New airport to start on March 23
The new Hyderabad airport has received a notification from the ministry of civil aviation to start operations from March 23. The airport, the first of the new facilities under the public-private model to start operations, was originally meant to start on March 16.
http://www.business-standard.com
old Hyd airport can be used for chartered flights: GMR counsel
HYDERABAD: In an argument in the AP High Court, GMR’s lawyer Abhishek Manu Singhvi conceded that Begumpet could be used for chartered flights.
After the UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi formally inaugurated the facility spread across 5,500 acres on the outskirts of the city on March 14, the commercial operations were expected to start from the midnight of March 15.
However, the ministry had postponed the commercial launch due to "operational reasons".
Subsequently, the airlines had come out in the open opposing certain charges including the ground handling charges being levied on them at the new airport.
GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd (GHIAL), which has developed the airport, had awarded the ground handling contracts to two consortia and the issue of ground handling charges too was left to the consortia to finalise.
Private airlines have been claiming that the exorbitant ground handling charges would make the operations of airlines particularly for low cost carriers unviable pushing them into the red.
"The issue (of ground handling charges) has been amicably solved by both the parties," GHIAL’s CFO Rajgopal Swami told TOI without disclosing the details of the resolution.
However, sources in know of the negotiations told TOI that the ground handlers had agreed to reduce the charges to "a certain level". "It’s a pleasant surprise for the airlines," the source said.
TOI
After the UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi formally inaugurated the facility spread across 5,500 acres on the outskirts of the city on March 14, the commercial operations were expected to start from the midnight of March 15.
However, the ministry had postponed the commercial launch due to "operational reasons".
Subsequently, the airlines had come out in the open opposing certain charges including the ground handling charges being levied on them at the new airport.
GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd (GHIAL), which has developed the airport, had awarded the ground handling contracts to two consortia and the issue of ground handling charges too was left to the consortia to finalise.
Private airlines have been claiming that the exorbitant ground handling charges would make the operations of airlines particularly for low cost carriers unviable pushing them into the red.
"The issue (of ground handling charges) has been amicably solved by both the parties," GHIAL’s CFO Rajgopal Swami told TOI without disclosing the details of the resolution.
However, sources in know of the negotiations told TOI that the ground handlers had agreed to reduce the charges to "a certain level". "It’s a pleasant surprise for the airlines," the source said.
TOI
Shamshabad set for take-off
HYDERABAD: Ending a week-long suspense, the ministry of civil aviation (MoCA) on Thursday suddenly decided to throw open commercial operations at the Shamshabad airport from the midnight of March 22, 2008.
The ministry also decided to pull down the curtains over the existing airport at Begumpet despite many private airlines and some sections of public opposing the move.
The MoCA move came even as the airlines and ground handling companies were still in talks in a bid to resolve the impasse arising out of the dispute over ground handling charges. "The ministry suddenly decided to force the agitating airlines to fall in line and start flying in and out of the new airport. With Lok Sabha going into recess, the ministry decided to open the airport. If Parliament were on, it would have faced opposition in the House," said a source. Meanwhile, representatives of private airlines who had become voluble in recent days about the need to keep Begumpet open went scurrying for cover after the announcement was made.
As per the schedule of Shamshabad airport, Lufthansa's Frankfurt-Hyderabad flight will be the first to land at the airport on Saturday midnight. The new airport authorities have also decided to waive off the user development fee (UDF) of Rs 1,000 to be levied on the outbound international passengers till March 28, 2008. Similarly, no fee will be charged on vehicle parking for the first week.
The 76-year-old Begumpet airport will now be open only for aircraft owned or operated by the Indian Air Force or other armed forces, para-military forces and police. The existing airport will also be used for transportation of VIPs by special government-owned, leased or hired aircraft.
The ministry has also transferred the International Air Transport Association (IATA) code "HYD" for the existing airport to the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport. Striking the last nail on the existing airport's coffin, the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has also decided to amend the licence issued to the Airports Authority of India (AAI) for operating the Begumpet airport allowing it to be available for general aviation services other than those relating to "commercial aircraft, charter flights, aircraft hired or operated under commercial arrangements".
Courtesy : TOI
The ministry also decided to pull down the curtains over the existing airport at Begumpet despite many private airlines and some sections of public opposing the move.
The MoCA move came even as the airlines and ground handling companies were still in talks in a bid to resolve the impasse arising out of the dispute over ground handling charges. "The ministry suddenly decided to force the agitating airlines to fall in line and start flying in and out of the new airport. With Lok Sabha going into recess, the ministry decided to open the airport. If Parliament were on, it would have faced opposition in the House," said a source. Meanwhile, representatives of private airlines who had become voluble in recent days about the need to keep Begumpet open went scurrying for cover after the announcement was made.
As per the schedule of Shamshabad airport, Lufthansa's Frankfurt-Hyderabad flight will be the first to land at the airport on Saturday midnight. The new airport authorities have also decided to waive off the user development fee (UDF) of Rs 1,000 to be levied on the outbound international passengers till March 28, 2008. Similarly, no fee will be charged on vehicle parking for the first week.
The 76-year-old Begumpet airport will now be open only for aircraft owned or operated by the Indian Air Force or other armed forces, para-military forces and police. The existing airport will also be used for transportation of VIPs by special government-owned, leased or hired aircraft.
The ministry has also transferred the International Air Transport Association (IATA) code "HYD" for the existing airport to the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport. Striking the last nail on the existing airport's coffin, the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has also decided to amend the licence issued to the Airports Authority of India (AAI) for operating the Begumpet airport allowing it to be available for general aviation services other than those relating to "commercial aircraft, charter flights, aircraft hired or operated under commercial arrangements".
Courtesy : TOI
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Controllers apprehensive about air safety at Devanahalli airport: THE HINDU
Bangalore: For an airport that was to commence operations in March, now postponed to May, the Air Traffic Control (ATC) facility ought to have been up and running. Instead, on a mid-March morning, just six weeks away from the date of commissioning of the airport, chaos reigns at the ATC facility at the international airport in Devanahalli.
Whiling away time
Highly skilled controllers, instead of working at their consoles, are counting tables and chairs and discussing the blinds that should be put on the windows to prevent light from falling directly on the screens that will monitor traffic at the airport.
That the BIAL missed the March deadline is well known, but has it also cut corners?
Controllers are apprehensive about air safety at the new airport.
For example, there is just one lift to the 20-storeyed Air Traffic Control (ATC) tower. A senior controller posted at the new airport since December said that in the event of its breakdown controllers would have to climb 20 floors.
This could “disorient” a controller.
“How can he respond appropriately in an emergency,” he asked. Controllers with heart ailments and other health disorders would find it impossible to make the steep climb.
He pointed out that the ATC at the new airport at Shamshabad in Hyderabad is equipped with two lifts.
‘Standards met’
In response to a specific question posed by The Hindu about employees’ apprehension that a single lift at the ATC may compromise safety, Albert Brunner, CEO of BIAL, said, “Care has been taken to ensure that safety standards are met as per international standards.”
He said the various buildings within the airport “have been built after taking approvals from the respective authorities”.
Runway lighting
Controllers at Devanahalli also said the runway lacked central lights, which are embedded along the centre of the runway, to aid visual navigation by pilots as they land or take off.
These are considered state of the art in new airports and have been provided at the Hyderabad airport.
They also complained that the non-availability of turning pads at the ends of the runway, which aid manoeuvring of aircraft, was another example of “cost cutting”.
A senior controller told The Hindu that the approach control area of the ATC, which is the area from where controllers guide approaching airborne aircraft, is about one-fifth the size of the facility in the new airport at Hyderabad.
It is expected that controllers may have to handle at least 420 movements a day (each arrival or departure of an aircraft is considered a “movement”).
There are just two rest rooms, one measuring about 50 sq. ft and another measuring about 150 sq. ft, for the more than 30 controllers at the airport.
While the first room has barely enough room for one person, the second can accommodate three cots. Each controller is entitled to four hours of rest after a shift, pointed out one controller.
“This is a high pressure job. That has escaped the attention of those at the helm,” he said.
Whiling away time
Highly skilled controllers, instead of working at their consoles, are counting tables and chairs and discussing the blinds that should be put on the windows to prevent light from falling directly on the screens that will monitor traffic at the airport.
That the BIAL missed the March deadline is well known, but has it also cut corners?
Controllers are apprehensive about air safety at the new airport.
For example, there is just one lift to the 20-storeyed Air Traffic Control (ATC) tower. A senior controller posted at the new airport since December said that in the event of its breakdown controllers would have to climb 20 floors.
This could “disorient” a controller.
“How can he respond appropriately in an emergency,” he asked. Controllers with heart ailments and other health disorders would find it impossible to make the steep climb.
He pointed out that the ATC at the new airport at Shamshabad in Hyderabad is equipped with two lifts.
‘Standards met’
In response to a specific question posed by The Hindu about employees’ apprehension that a single lift at the ATC may compromise safety, Albert Brunner, CEO of BIAL, said, “Care has been taken to ensure that safety standards are met as per international standards.”
He said the various buildings within the airport “have been built after taking approvals from the respective authorities”.
Runway lighting
Controllers at Devanahalli also said the runway lacked central lights, which are embedded along the centre of the runway, to aid visual navigation by pilots as they land or take off.
These are considered state of the art in new airports and have been provided at the Hyderabad airport.
They also complained that the non-availability of turning pads at the ends of the runway, which aid manoeuvring of aircraft, was another example of “cost cutting”.
A senior controller told The Hindu that the approach control area of the ATC, which is the area from where controllers guide approaching airborne aircraft, is about one-fifth the size of the facility in the new airport at Hyderabad.
It is expected that controllers may have to handle at least 420 movements a day (each arrival or departure of an aircraft is considered a “movement”).
There are just two rest rooms, one measuring about 50 sq. ft and another measuring about 150 sq. ft, for the more than 30 controllers at the airport.
While the first room has barely enough room for one person, the second can accommodate three cots. Each controller is entitled to four hours of rest after a shift, pointed out one controller.
“This is a high pressure job. That has escaped the attention of those at the helm,” he said.
Monday, March 17, 2008
BIAL airport fails to take off on schedule
IT'S now official. The new Bangalore International Airport will be opened only on May 11, 2008. The postponement from March 30 to May 11 was announced on Thursday citing a delay sought by the Ministry of Civil Aviation.
The airport issue has been hogging the headlines for a fortnight. Should the city retain its old HAL Airport? Should it be abandoned totally? Will the new BIAL Airport measure up to challenges of growing air traffic? Or should both airports function simultaneously? These were some of the questions asked.
Though postponement of the inauguration by a month was a certainty, the BIAL was in no mood to defer the deadline. The Airport Authority of India (AAI) had sought a month's time to give clearance to Air Traffic Control (ATC) and Air Safety arrangements. It will be installing the requisite equipment by March 20. It would then need 1,000 hours of what is known as 'hot-standby' period before the Communication, Navigation and Surveillance-Air Traffic Management (ATM-CNS) is fully opertionalised.
This is considered crucial for ensuring air safety. But Albert Brunner, BIAL CEO, brushed aside all these issues. He had stuck to the March 30 deadline for start of operations. Meanwhile, Public Interest Litigations (PIL) from citizens wanted the old HAL Airport. They hade pleaded against flight operations being shifted to BIAL on the grounds of poor connectivity (the approach route is still not ready) and the user charges to be levied on passengers.
A seminar on 'Should HAL Airport be closed?' last week turned into a slanging match. S. R. Iyer, deputy general manager of the HAL Airport argued for retention of the old airport as BIAL has only 35 per cent more capacity than the HAL. "And it will be saturated very soon,’’ he feared. Brunner said retaining of the HAL would breach an agreement with the Government of India which called for the closure of HAL Airport. It would also shake investors' confidence in Swiss company which would like to be part of more BIAL projects.
Amid all this confusion, work on the dirt track to Devanahalli where the new airport is located is make slow, snails progress.
An exercise in accountancy
With no government in the state, a budget becomes an 'exercise in accountancy'. That is what Union Finance Minister P. Chidambram did when he presented the Karnataka Budget 2007-2008 on March 10.
Understandably, no new welfare schemes or development programmes was announced, given the apolitical nature of the presentation. However, considerabe hikes in allocations for agriculture, (an 18 per cent increase over the previous year) education, santation and health have been praised by the state media.
The fiscal deficit management to within three per cent too drew praise from the finance minister.
'Golden Chariot' gets going
Amidst festive scenes, South India's first luxury train, 'Golden Chariot' rolled out of Bangalore's northern railway terminal Yeshwanthpur on March 10.
On board the 19-coach train on its maiden journey were 65 VIP guests, 15 booked passengers and 15 journalists.
The train passes through Tippu Sultan's capital Srirangapatnam, Mysore, Kabini reservoir resort, the Jain pilgrim centre at Shravanabelagola, the famous temple towns of Belur; Halebid, capital of the medieval kingdom of Hampi, caves of Badami and Aihole, and the scenic resort at Pattadakal.
Taken from http://www.khaleejtimes.com
The airport issue has been hogging the headlines for a fortnight. Should the city retain its old HAL Airport? Should it be abandoned totally? Will the new BIAL Airport measure up to challenges of growing air traffic? Or should both airports function simultaneously? These were some of the questions asked.
Though postponement of the inauguration by a month was a certainty, the BIAL was in no mood to defer the deadline. The Airport Authority of India (AAI) had sought a month's time to give clearance to Air Traffic Control (ATC) and Air Safety arrangements. It will be installing the requisite equipment by March 20. It would then need 1,000 hours of what is known as 'hot-standby' period before the Communication, Navigation and Surveillance-Air Traffic Management (ATM-CNS) is fully opertionalised.
This is considered crucial for ensuring air safety. But Albert Brunner, BIAL CEO, brushed aside all these issues. He had stuck to the March 30 deadline for start of operations. Meanwhile, Public Interest Litigations (PIL) from citizens wanted the old HAL Airport. They hade pleaded against flight operations being shifted to BIAL on the grounds of poor connectivity (the approach route is still not ready) and the user charges to be levied on passengers.
A seminar on 'Should HAL Airport be closed?' last week turned into a slanging match. S. R. Iyer, deputy general manager of the HAL Airport argued for retention of the old airport as BIAL has only 35 per cent more capacity than the HAL. "And it will be saturated very soon,’’ he feared. Brunner said retaining of the HAL would breach an agreement with the Government of India which called for the closure of HAL Airport. It would also shake investors' confidence in Swiss company which would like to be part of more BIAL projects.
Amid all this confusion, work on the dirt track to Devanahalli where the new airport is located is make slow, snails progress.
An exercise in accountancy
With no government in the state, a budget becomes an 'exercise in accountancy'. That is what Union Finance Minister P. Chidambram did when he presented the Karnataka Budget 2007-2008 on March 10.
Understandably, no new welfare schemes or development programmes was announced, given the apolitical nature of the presentation. However, considerabe hikes in allocations for agriculture, (an 18 per cent increase over the previous year) education, santation and health have been praised by the state media.
The fiscal deficit management to within three per cent too drew praise from the finance minister.
'Golden Chariot' gets going
Amidst festive scenes, South India's first luxury train, 'Golden Chariot' rolled out of Bangalore's northern railway terminal Yeshwanthpur on March 10.
On board the 19-coach train on its maiden journey were 65 VIP guests, 15 booked passengers and 15 journalists.
The train passes through Tippu Sultan's capital Srirangapatnam, Mysore, Kabini reservoir resort, the Jain pilgrim centre at Shravanabelagola, the famous temple towns of Belur; Halebid, capital of the medieval kingdom of Hampi, caves of Badami and Aihole, and the scenic resort at Pattadakal.
Taken from http://www.khaleejtimes.com
Pilots fallen asleep
HONOLULU - The pilots of an inter-island flight from Honolulu to Hilo failed to respond to air traffic controllers 11 times as it overshot its destination by 15 miles while flying at an altitude of 21,000 feet.
According to air traffic control tapes obtained by TV station KGMB, a controller monitoring airspace around Maui repeatedly tried to raise the two pilots of the go! flight on Feb. 13. They are being investigated for possibly falling asleep during the 214-mile flight.
The controller was initially unable to contact the pilots of Flight 1002 when she tried to call them about 15 minutes after the plane left Honolulu.
Finally, about 32 minutes into the flight, the captain responded, and the controller said: "Air shuttle 1002, guys, I've been trying to contact you for the last 90 to 100 miles. I understand you've passed Hilo, I'm going to turn you back to the northeast bound to get you back to the Hilo airport. Is there some kind of emergency situation going on?"
"Uh no emergency situation," the captain said.
After listening to the tapes, airline analyst Peter Foreman told KGMB on Friday that it was clear something was wrong.
"By the time you get 60 miles from your destination, it's time to descend," he said. "So obviously someone was not minding the store."
The National Transportation Safety Board has said the flight had no mechanical problems, but its preliminary report reached no conclusion as to why the plane overshot Hilo International Airport. The Federal Aviation Administration is also investigating.
Go!'s parent company, Phoenix-based Mesa Air Group, grounded both pilots while the investigations continued.
The flight, which also carried 40 passengers and a flight attendant, landed safely
According to air traffic control tapes obtained by TV station KGMB, a controller monitoring airspace around Maui repeatedly tried to raise the two pilots of the go! flight on Feb. 13. They are being investigated for possibly falling asleep during the 214-mile flight.
The controller was initially unable to contact the pilots of Flight 1002 when she tried to call them about 15 minutes after the plane left Honolulu.
Finally, about 32 minutes into the flight, the captain responded, and the controller said: "Air shuttle 1002, guys, I've been trying to contact you for the last 90 to 100 miles. I understand you've passed Hilo, I'm going to turn you back to the northeast bound to get you back to the Hilo airport. Is there some kind of emergency situation going on?"
"Uh no emergency situation," the captain said.
After listening to the tapes, airline analyst Peter Foreman told KGMB on Friday that it was clear something was wrong.
"By the time you get 60 miles from your destination, it's time to descend," he said. "So obviously someone was not minding the store."
The National Transportation Safety Board has said the flight had no mechanical problems, but its preliminary report reached no conclusion as to why the plane overshot Hilo International Airport. The Federal Aviation Administration is also investigating.
Go!'s parent company, Phoenix-based Mesa Air Group, grounded both pilots while the investigations continued.
The flight, which also carried 40 passengers and a flight attendant, landed safely
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Govt. fixes standards for proficiency in English for Pilots and ATCO's
In a bid to standardise English proficiency for all functions relating to flying over Indian airspace, government has laid down the minimum standards for proficiency skills of personnel, including pilots and air traffic controllers, and made it effective from this week.
Proficiency in English was made mandatory for pilots, air traffic controllers and other concerned staff operating in India after the November 11, 1996 Charkhi Dadri mid-air collision, but no standard was set for the purpose.
A major cause of the collision was that the pilot of one of the aircraft could not understand the English directives of the ATC and brought the aircraft down to the same height as that of the other plane, instead of gaining height. This had led to the collision.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has brought out a circular, which says that all aircraft personnel like pilots, flight engineers and flight navigators, air traffic controllers and aeronautical station operators "shall have their English language proficiency evaluated to the ICAO language proficiency standards within a period of three years from March 5, 2008."
Licenses granted to these personnel after this date would be considered to have the ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organisation) language proficiency level 4 (operational). All applicants for these jobs would have to fulfil this requirement and undertake a test to get a license.
Proficiency in English was made mandatory for pilots, air traffic controllers and other concerned staff operating in India after the November 11, 1996 Charkhi Dadri mid-air collision, but no standard was set for the purpose.
A major cause of the collision was that the pilot of one of the aircraft could not understand the English directives of the ATC and brought the aircraft down to the same height as that of the other plane, instead of gaining height. This had led to the collision.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has brought out a circular, which says that all aircraft personnel like pilots, flight engineers and flight navigators, air traffic controllers and aeronautical station operators "shall have their English language proficiency evaluated to the ICAO language proficiency standards within a period of three years from March 5, 2008."
Licenses granted to these personnel after this date would be considered to have the ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organisation) language proficiency level 4 (operational). All applicants for these jobs would have to fulfil this requirement and undertake a test to get a license.
Airport Employees call off strike
NEW DELHI (AFP) — Maintenance workers at airports in India protesting against the opening of two private facilities called off their strike Thursday after talks with the government, their union said.
About 15,000 members of the Airports Authority Employees Union went on strike Wednesday at 127 airports to protest plans to open private airports in high-tech Hyderabad and in call-centre hub Bangalore.
But union official M.K. Ghosal told reporters in New Delhi that following government assurances they would consider employees' interests, "we are withdrawing our non-cooperation agitation."
Aviation minister Praful Patel was quoted by the Press Trust of India as saying that he had "assured them that interests of the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and its employees will not be affected (by the opening of the two new airports)."
"In fact, we will try to make AAI more profitable," he said.
The union's decision came after the government sought a delay in the opening of the Bangalore airport, which was due to start functioning on March 30, saying air traffic control services would not be available before May 10.
"We have decided to launch the new airport May 11 in response to a communication from the Union Civil Aviation ministry," Bangalore International Airport Private Limited, which is building the airport, said in a statement.
Delays in the construction of air traffic control infrastructure and other facilities such as electricity supply and air-conditioning were other reasons for postponing the opening, the government said.
The work stoppage left garbage piling up and toilets overflowing. Baggage trolleys were also scarce and water taps began to run dry in some airports, though air traffic appeared unaffected.
The strike followed the breakdown of talks between workers and authorities over the move to close existing airports in Bangalore and Hyderabad to commercial air traffic once the privately run facilities open.
The government says privatisation is needed to modernise India's airports, with the AAI short of funds.
India needs to spend 9.6 billion dollars over five years to improve the country's airports, according to the government agency, which expects 100 million people to fly this year in India compared with 43 million in 2003-2004.
About 15,000 members of the Airports Authority Employees Union went on strike Wednesday at 127 airports to protest plans to open private airports in high-tech Hyderabad and in call-centre hub Bangalore.
But union official M.K. Ghosal told reporters in New Delhi that following government assurances they would consider employees' interests, "we are withdrawing our non-cooperation agitation."
Aviation minister Praful Patel was quoted by the Press Trust of India as saying that he had "assured them that interests of the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and its employees will not be affected (by the opening of the two new airports)."
"In fact, we will try to make AAI more profitable," he said.
The union's decision came after the government sought a delay in the opening of the Bangalore airport, which was due to start functioning on March 30, saying air traffic control services would not be available before May 10.
"We have decided to launch the new airport May 11 in response to a communication from the Union Civil Aviation ministry," Bangalore International Airport Private Limited, which is building the airport, said in a statement.
Delays in the construction of air traffic control infrastructure and other facilities such as electricity supply and air-conditioning were other reasons for postponing the opening, the government said.
The work stoppage left garbage piling up and toilets overflowing. Baggage trolleys were also scarce and water taps began to run dry in some airports, though air traffic appeared unaffected.
The strike followed the breakdown of talks between workers and authorities over the move to close existing airports in Bangalore and Hyderabad to commercial air traffic once the privately run facilities open.
The government says privatisation is needed to modernise India's airports, with the AAI short of funds.
India needs to spend 9.6 billion dollars over five years to improve the country's airports, according to the government agency, which expects 100 million people to fly this year in India compared with 43 million in 2003-2004.
Bangalore Airport launch date extended to May 11
The uncertainty over the Bengaluru International Airport (BIA) launch date is finally over. Following the Union Government’s green signal to open the airport after May 10, the BIAL on Thursday announced that the greenfield airport would be formally launched on May 11.
In a statement, the BIAL said: “We have received communication from the Ministry of Civil Aviation seeking a consideration of a suitable opening date after May 10, 2008 due to delays on Air Traffic Control (ATC) services. The BIAL has decided the date of airport opening as May 11, 2008.”
taken from http://www.deccanherald.com
However, the BIAL expressed disappointment with delay “as our employees and partners have been working tirelessly to launch the Bengaluru International Airport on March 30. This delay is beyond the control of the BIAL.”
To mark the successful readiness of airport infrastructure, the BIAL will hold an event to showcase the new airport on March 28.
The BIAL had indicated to the ministry that the first commercial flight was likely to take off at 12:01 am on May 11.
The Civil Aviation Ministry, in a letter to BIAL CEO Albert Brunner, cited the lack of readiness of ATC services as the main reason for delay.
No legal action
Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel dismissed queries that the Centre’s directive may invite legal action from the BIAL. “The delay is because of operational reasons,” he said.
The letter, written by an officer of the rank of director of the ministry — a copy of which was obtained exclusively by Deccan Herald — blames the BIAL for the delay in handing over several facilities to the Airports Authority of India (AAI) to take up ATC works. All other agencies (barring AAI) have confirmed readiness for operation, the letter noted.
“The AAI has informed (the ministry) that… it was the responsibility of the BIAL to design and construct by no later than 180 days prior to the initial commissioning date (ICD-March 30) the ATC facility including control tower, technical block and office accommodation for AAI personnel. Air conditioning at ATC was to be provided 90 days prior to ICD. The BIAL should have handed over the facility by September 30, 2007 and provided AC by December 31. However, the crucial building — technical block — was handed over to the AAI only on February 3, 2008, radar building on December 12, 2007 and AC works completed on March 1.”
The letter said as regards the status of installation of ATC equipment, physical installation of navigational aids, radar etc., have been completed. After the ATC equipment are commi-ssioned, the AAI would require eight weeks for familiarisation and training of air traffic controllers.
In a statement, the BIAL said: “We have received communication from the Ministry of Civil Aviation seeking a consideration of a suitable opening date after May 10, 2008 due to delays on Air Traffic Control (ATC) services. The BIAL has decided the date of airport opening as May 11, 2008.”
taken from http://www.deccanherald.com
However, the BIAL expressed disappointment with delay “as our employees and partners have been working tirelessly to launch the Bengaluru International Airport on March 30. This delay is beyond the control of the BIAL.”
To mark the successful readiness of airport infrastructure, the BIAL will hold an event to showcase the new airport on March 28.
The BIAL had indicated to the ministry that the first commercial flight was likely to take off at 12:01 am on May 11.
The Civil Aviation Ministry, in a letter to BIAL CEO Albert Brunner, cited the lack of readiness of ATC services as the main reason for delay.
No legal action
Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel dismissed queries that the Centre’s directive may invite legal action from the BIAL. “The delay is because of operational reasons,” he said.
The letter, written by an officer of the rank of director of the ministry — a copy of which was obtained exclusively by Deccan Herald — blames the BIAL for the delay in handing over several facilities to the Airports Authority of India (AAI) to take up ATC works. All other agencies (barring AAI) have confirmed readiness for operation, the letter noted.
“The AAI has informed (the ministry) that… it was the responsibility of the BIAL to design and construct by no later than 180 days prior to the initial commissioning date (ICD-March 30) the ATC facility including control tower, technical block and office accommodation for AAI personnel. Air conditioning at ATC was to be provided 90 days prior to ICD. The BIAL should have handed over the facility by September 30, 2007 and provided AC by December 31. However, the crucial building — technical block — was handed over to the AAI only on February 3, 2008, radar building on December 12, 2007 and AC works completed on March 1.”
The letter said as regards the status of installation of ATC equipment, physical installation of navigational aids, radar etc., have been completed. After the ATC equipment are commi-ssioned, the AAI would require eight weeks for familiarisation and training of air traffic controllers.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Air traffic unaffected by strike
NEW DELHI — Air traffic across India remained largely unaffected yesterday despite a nationwide protest by about 20,000 airport employees opposed to the closure of the existing airports in Bangalore and Hyderabad.
But some flights were hit due to the "non-cooperation movement" — the protesters are not calling it a strike — in the national capital. There were warnings of disruptions elsewhere too.
About 500 Indian Air Force (IAF) personnel trained in airfield safety, fire fighting and aircraft marshalling were deployed at 21 major civilian airports to ensure smooth take offs and landings, officials told IANS.
A few flights from the capital's Indira Gandhi International Airport were delayed but operations were not badly affected by the indefinite protest by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) employees that got underway at midnight on Tuesday after talks with the government broke down.
But officials here admitted that if the 1,700 employees stayed away for long, it would affect baggage handling, sanitation and other ground activities.
Ignoring the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) the government has invoked, the employees are not calling their protest a strike to escape legal action against them.
In Chennai, airport director Dinesh Kumar said both domestic and international terminals functioned normally.
In Kolkata, the airport was near normal and at least 35 flights had flown till forenoon. ATC officials said flight movements were largely normal.
The toilets at the airports too suffered after the cleaning staff stayed away from work.
Airport employees across India late yesterday decided to continue with their strike after the government, rejecting their demand, made clear that the existing Bangalore and Hyderabad airports will terminate commercial operations once the new airports start functioning.
The striking employees also rebuffed Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel's assurance that their interests would be fully protected.
"We want the government to continue commercial activities from these airports. This was our demand and we will continue with our agitation till it is considered," M.K Ghoshal, the general secretary of the Airports Authority Employees Union, said.
Our correspondents add: In Mumbai, operations at the international and domestic terminals were largely unaffected yesterday, despite the fact that nearly 2,000 employees stayed away from work. About 15,000 airport employees across India went on a strike from yesterday.
The Airport Authority Employees Joint Forum (AAEJF), an apex body of unions backed by Left parties, organised the strike, protesting against the privatisation of airports in the country. Both Mumbai and Delhi, the busiest airports in India, have been handed over to private firms.
According to a spokesman of the Mumbai International Airport Ltd, operations here were unaffected, despite about 2,000 employees staying away from work. Air traffic control (ATC) officials did not participate in the strike.
But the government had made provisions by deploying Indian Air Force personnel, in case ATC employees also boycotted work.
Airlines had advised passengers to report early, but flights were not disrupted.
In Kerala, the airport operations were not affected in three airports in the state.
Trivandrum Airport Director N. Nagraj said that all incoming and outgoing flights were operated as per schedule till afternoon. He said that the airport had taken steps to manage the essential services with the existing staff.
The strike did not make any impact on the functioning of the Cochin International Airport at Nedumbaserry since it is not managed by AAI.
Reports from Cochin said that only five employees had joined the strike there. Senior officials said that the schedule of flights in Cochin might be affected if there is disruption of services at other airports.
International flights operated by various airlines like Kuwait Airways, Indian, Gulf Air, Air India Express and Oman Airways arrived on time without any obstruction, the airport officials said.
Flight services at Karipur also remained unaffected even though 116 employees joined the strike.
In Hyderabad, about 300 employees of the existing airport at Begumpet in the city joined the strike. The strike, however, had no impact on the air traffic. All international and domestic flights were operating as per the schedule. The airport authorities said there was no cancellation or delay due to the strike.
The passengers, however, faced some inconvenience due to the absence of aerobridge operators and baggage handlers.
In Bangalore, the strike failed to make any impact on flight operations at HAL airport in the city yesterday. Flights took off and landed as per schedule at the existing airport in Bangalore as the state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) mans the Air Traffic Control (ATC) operations while the ground support services are handled by various airlines.
But some flights were hit due to the "non-cooperation movement" — the protesters are not calling it a strike — in the national capital. There were warnings of disruptions elsewhere too.
About 500 Indian Air Force (IAF) personnel trained in airfield safety, fire fighting and aircraft marshalling were deployed at 21 major civilian airports to ensure smooth take offs and landings, officials told IANS.
A few flights from the capital's Indira Gandhi International Airport were delayed but operations were not badly affected by the indefinite protest by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) employees that got underway at midnight on Tuesday after talks with the government broke down.
But officials here admitted that if the 1,700 employees stayed away for long, it would affect baggage handling, sanitation and other ground activities.
Ignoring the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) the government has invoked, the employees are not calling their protest a strike to escape legal action against them.
In Chennai, airport director Dinesh Kumar said both domestic and international terminals functioned normally.
In Kolkata, the airport was near normal and at least 35 flights had flown till forenoon. ATC officials said flight movements were largely normal.
The toilets at the airports too suffered after the cleaning staff stayed away from work.
Airport employees across India late yesterday decided to continue with their strike after the government, rejecting their demand, made clear that the existing Bangalore and Hyderabad airports will terminate commercial operations once the new airports start functioning.
The striking employees also rebuffed Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel's assurance that their interests would be fully protected.
"We want the government to continue commercial activities from these airports. This was our demand and we will continue with our agitation till it is considered," M.K Ghoshal, the general secretary of the Airports Authority Employees Union, said.
Our correspondents add: In Mumbai, operations at the international and domestic terminals were largely unaffected yesterday, despite the fact that nearly 2,000 employees stayed away from work. About 15,000 airport employees across India went on a strike from yesterday.
The Airport Authority Employees Joint Forum (AAEJF), an apex body of unions backed by Left parties, organised the strike, protesting against the privatisation of airports in the country. Both Mumbai and Delhi, the busiest airports in India, have been handed over to private firms.
According to a spokesman of the Mumbai International Airport Ltd, operations here were unaffected, despite about 2,000 employees staying away from work. Air traffic control (ATC) officials did not participate in the strike.
But the government had made provisions by deploying Indian Air Force personnel, in case ATC employees also boycotted work.
Airlines had advised passengers to report early, but flights were not disrupted.
In Kerala, the airport operations were not affected in three airports in the state.
Trivandrum Airport Director N. Nagraj said that all incoming and outgoing flights were operated as per schedule till afternoon. He said that the airport had taken steps to manage the essential services with the existing staff.
The strike did not make any impact on the functioning of the Cochin International Airport at Nedumbaserry since it is not managed by AAI.
Reports from Cochin said that only five employees had joined the strike there. Senior officials said that the schedule of flights in Cochin might be affected if there is disruption of services at other airports.
International flights operated by various airlines like Kuwait Airways, Indian, Gulf Air, Air India Express and Oman Airways arrived on time without any obstruction, the airport officials said.
Flight services at Karipur also remained unaffected even though 116 employees joined the strike.
In Hyderabad, about 300 employees of the existing airport at Begumpet in the city joined the strike. The strike, however, had no impact on the air traffic. All international and domestic flights were operating as per the schedule. The airport authorities said there was no cancellation or delay due to the strike.
The passengers, however, faced some inconvenience due to the absence of aerobridge operators and baggage handlers.
In Bangalore, the strike failed to make any impact on flight operations at HAL airport in the city yesterday. Flights took off and landed as per schedule at the existing airport in Bangalore as the state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) mans the Air Traffic Control (ATC) operations while the ground support services are handled by various airlines.
Plane on test ride hits hijack button
A hijack scare kept the air traffic controllers in Mumbai on tenterhooks for three days in a row. Airport sources told DNA that the first hijack alarm coded message was received at the control tower on Friday afternoon.
The aircraft, belonging to King Air, was once owned by Maharashtra government, they added.
“More than a dozen aircraft were flying in Mumbai airspace when the control room received the hijack code message,” said a senior AAI official on condition of anonymity.
“Within seconds all the agencies were informed about it as per protocol, and we all started looking for the aircraft.” The sequence of every aircraft approaching Mumbai was changed.
“All of us were really scared because we thought that an aircraft had been hijacked and our first job was to locate it,” said an air traffic controller, who too refused to divulge his name. But before the controllers could tune in their equipment, the message stopped abruptly, triggering panic that the worst had happened. “Throughout the night we kept checking information, trying to ensure whether any aircraft had been hijacked. There was none and we heaved sigh of relief,” added the controller.
But there was more to the drama. On Saturday afternoon, the control tower again received the hijack code message from an aircraft. “This time we acted even faster and traced the aircraft somewhere near Juhu airport,” said another senior airport official. The control room in Juhu airport was alerted but officials there could do nothing as they had no radar to track down aircraft.
On Sunday afternoon, Mumbai control again received the hijack message, again from a plane located somewhere near Juhu airport. This time, the authorities were even more alert and found out that a King Air plane was being checked by a foreign pilot and an aircraft engineer. “They were asked to switch off all gadgets, and the hijack message disappeared,” said the official.
The foreign pilot and aircraft engineer told airport authorities that while testing the gadgets, they might have erred and press the transponder, which flashes hijack message code.
The aircraft, belonging to King Air, was once owned by Maharashtra government, they added.
“More than a dozen aircraft were flying in Mumbai airspace when the control room received the hijack code message,” said a senior AAI official on condition of anonymity.
“Within seconds all the agencies were informed about it as per protocol, and we all started looking for the aircraft.” The sequence of every aircraft approaching Mumbai was changed.
“All of us were really scared because we thought that an aircraft had been hijacked and our first job was to locate it,” said an air traffic controller, who too refused to divulge his name. But before the controllers could tune in their equipment, the message stopped abruptly, triggering panic that the worst had happened. “Throughout the night we kept checking information, trying to ensure whether any aircraft had been hijacked. There was none and we heaved sigh of relief,” added the controller.
But there was more to the drama. On Saturday afternoon, the control tower again received the hijack code message from an aircraft. “This time we acted even faster and traced the aircraft somewhere near Juhu airport,” said another senior airport official. The control room in Juhu airport was alerted but officials there could do nothing as they had no radar to track down aircraft.
On Sunday afternoon, Mumbai control again received the hijack message, again from a plane located somewhere near Juhu airport. This time, the authorities were even more alert and found out that a King Air plane was being checked by a foreign pilot and an aircraft engineer. “They were asked to switch off all gadgets, and the hijack message disappeared,” said the official.
The foreign pilot and aircraft engineer told airport authorities that while testing the gadgets, they might have erred and press the transponder, which flashes hijack message code.
Doubts over Bangalore airport launch date
Bangalore’s new airport may not keep its date of opening on March 30 thanks to an air-pocket it has hit over meeting a crucial air traffic control (ATC) norm.
Officials of the Ministry of Civil Aviation who visited the site on Friday said the launch date would be decided in a day or two after meetings are held in the Capital.
“Right now, March 30 is not still the absolute date,” Mr Ashok Chawla, Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation, told Business Line in Bangalore. “We have still not taken a final view on that and need to have a clear picture. We may take a decision in two-three days after further discussions in Delhi.”
Mr Chawla, along with the Director-General of Civil Aviation, the AAI chief and other officials were in the city for two days to study the onsite and connectivity issues to Devanahalli, 35 km away.
ATC issue
In the worst-case scenario, the opening of the new airport could face a delay of up to one month, one source said.
Mr Chawla admitted that the ATC issue was the main factor in reviewing the launch date. If there was a need to postpone the airport’s launch, the Government would try and sort out the matter as early as possible, so that the plans of the airport developers is not affected, while also ensuring that all regulations for opening a new airport are met, the Secretary said.
The new airport being developed by the Siemens-Unique Zurich Airport-L&T consortium is yet to receive the operator’s licence. For that, the Director-General of Civil Aviation has given the developer, Bangalore International Airport Ltd, a list of 59 items for compliance and will take a call on March 20, Mr Chawla said. A dozen of them still need to be met with.
Problems
At the new airport, the ATC, along with CNS (communication and navigation services) will be handled by the Airports Authority of India, at the moment this is being done by HAL staff.
Sources familiar with the progress of the new airport said the imported ATC equipment and radar landed only in February, almost three months late. The delayed arrival has given AAI staff little time for onsite familiarisation. They need on-site familiarisation of up to four weeks to test, calibrate and synchronise their equipment. The instruments need to be kept in 42-day (1,000-hour) “hot stand-by” mode before the airport can be operationalised.
General view is that both these cannot be achieved by March 30. Only on Friday, BIAL had demonstrated its readiness by handling the trial landings and take-offs of six aircraft in various modes. Asked about the ATC issue, the BIAL CEO, Mr Albert Brunner, said BIAL was only the operator and ATC did not fall in its ambit.
AAI is in the process of deploying some 300 air traffic controllers from its other centres to Devanahalli.
USER FEE
Mr Chawla said there would be no going back on closing down the nearly 50-year-old HAL airport once the new one begins operations at Devanahalli. The user fee is the other public concern. He said this, too, is inevitable, though the Ministry would try to keep the amount as reasonable as possible for departing passengers, without compromising the business model of BIAL.
Officials of the Ministry of Civil Aviation who visited the site on Friday said the launch date would be decided in a day or two after meetings are held in the Capital.
“Right now, March 30 is not still the absolute date,” Mr Ashok Chawla, Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation, told Business Line in Bangalore. “We have still not taken a final view on that and need to have a clear picture. We may take a decision in two-three days after further discussions in Delhi.”
Mr Chawla, along with the Director-General of Civil Aviation, the AAI chief and other officials were in the city for two days to study the onsite and connectivity issues to Devanahalli, 35 km away.
ATC issue
In the worst-case scenario, the opening of the new airport could face a delay of up to one month, one source said.
Mr Chawla admitted that the ATC issue was the main factor in reviewing the launch date. If there was a need to postpone the airport’s launch, the Government would try and sort out the matter as early as possible, so that the plans of the airport developers is not affected, while also ensuring that all regulations for opening a new airport are met, the Secretary said.
The new airport being developed by the Siemens-Unique Zurich Airport-L&T consortium is yet to receive the operator’s licence. For that, the Director-General of Civil Aviation has given the developer, Bangalore International Airport Ltd, a list of 59 items for compliance and will take a call on March 20, Mr Chawla said. A dozen of them still need to be met with.
Problems
At the new airport, the ATC, along with CNS (communication and navigation services) will be handled by the Airports Authority of India, at the moment this is being done by HAL staff.
Sources familiar with the progress of the new airport said the imported ATC equipment and radar landed only in February, almost three months late. The delayed arrival has given AAI staff little time for onsite familiarisation. They need on-site familiarisation of up to four weeks to test, calibrate and synchronise their equipment. The instruments need to be kept in 42-day (1,000-hour) “hot stand-by” mode before the airport can be operationalised.
General view is that both these cannot be achieved by March 30. Only on Friday, BIAL had demonstrated its readiness by handling the trial landings and take-offs of six aircraft in various modes. Asked about the ATC issue, the BIAL CEO, Mr Albert Brunner, said BIAL was only the operator and ATC did not fall in its ambit.
AAI is in the process of deploying some 300 air traffic controllers from its other centres to Devanahalli.
USER FEE
Mr Chawla said there would be no going back on closing down the nearly 50-year-old HAL airport once the new one begins operations at Devanahalli. The user fee is the other public concern. He said this, too, is inevitable, though the Ministry would try to keep the amount as reasonable as possible for departing passengers, without compromising the business model of BIAL.
BIAL unlikely on Scheduled time due ATC
In the wake of air safety concerns raised by an incomplete Air Traffic Control (ATC) facility, top Civil Aviation Ministry officials will meet early next week to take a final decision on whether to operationalise the airport on March 30 as scheduled or put it off.
Highly placed ministry sources told Deccan Herald that the issue of the commercial launch was “still open”.
Airports Authority of India (AAI) personnel working on the ATC facility are learnt to have categorically told a visiting Civil Aviation committee that they had to get at least a month’s training on the various equipment before the ATC could be commissioned.
Global practice
According to the standard norm followed worldwide, after a calibration flight, the Communication, Navigation, Surveillance and Air Traffic Management (CNS-ATM) equipment attached to the ATC are to be kept in hot standby mode for 1,000 hours. This is to help the system get stabilised and the personnel get familiarised with the working.
The sources said in the next few days, officials of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), AAI and the Ministry would coordinate with all the departments concerned, to see whether the airport could be readied for launch by March 30.
Safety issues
The officials, it is learnt, were not keen to postpone the launch. However, if they were not convinced about the safety issues, the date might be deferred.
During their previous visit to the airport site on February 29, the Civil Aviation Ministry officials had asked the BIAL to ensure that the critical ATC facility, controlled by AAI, was ready by March 20.
Stressing their need to get trained in the ATC equipment, the AAI staff at the new airport had reportedly sought a month’s time for the same. During this period they wanted to use the facility to monitor the existing traffic at the HAL airport, and gain real-time experience, so vital for such a large international airport.
Top airport sources told this newspaper that ATC was the most critical component and problems, if any, over it could not be sorted out in a hurry. “It is going to be tough task if they want the ATC problem solved and get the airport launched on March 30,” quipped a top official.
AAI’s responsibility
BIAL CEO, Albert Brunner on Friday maintained that the ATC was part of the responsibility of the Airports Authority of India.
“AAI is responsible for air traffic management. I don’t install it (the various ATC equipment), I don’t test it, I don’t have the experience,” he said when asked whether the BIAL launch was feasible, before completion of the 1,000 hour hot-standby mode period of the ATC equipment.
Highly placed ministry sources told Deccan Herald that the issue of the commercial launch was “still open”.
Airports Authority of India (AAI) personnel working on the ATC facility are learnt to have categorically told a visiting Civil Aviation committee that they had to get at least a month’s training on the various equipment before the ATC could be commissioned.
Global practice
According to the standard norm followed worldwide, after a calibration flight, the Communication, Navigation, Surveillance and Air Traffic Management (CNS-ATM) equipment attached to the ATC are to be kept in hot standby mode for 1,000 hours. This is to help the system get stabilised and the personnel get familiarised with the working.
The sources said in the next few days, officials of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), AAI and the Ministry would coordinate with all the departments concerned, to see whether the airport could be readied for launch by March 30.
Safety issues
The officials, it is learnt, were not keen to postpone the launch. However, if they were not convinced about the safety issues, the date might be deferred.
During their previous visit to the airport site on February 29, the Civil Aviation Ministry officials had asked the BIAL to ensure that the critical ATC facility, controlled by AAI, was ready by March 20.
Stressing their need to get trained in the ATC equipment, the AAI staff at the new airport had reportedly sought a month’s time for the same. During this period they wanted to use the facility to monitor the existing traffic at the HAL airport, and gain real-time experience, so vital for such a large international airport.
Top airport sources told this newspaper that ATC was the most critical component and problems, if any, over it could not be sorted out in a hurry. “It is going to be tough task if they want the ATC problem solved and get the airport launched on March 30,” quipped a top official.
AAI’s responsibility
BIAL CEO, Albert Brunner on Friday maintained that the ATC was part of the responsibility of the Airports Authority of India.
“AAI is responsible for air traffic management. I don’t install it (the various ATC equipment), I don’t test it, I don’t have the experience,” he said when asked whether the BIAL launch was feasible, before completion of the 1,000 hour hot-standby mode period of the ATC equipment.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Air India plane hits 'nilgai' on Kanpur runway
In yet another incident highlighting the chaotic and dangerous conditions prevailing on runways in the country, a 48-seater Air India regional flight hit a nilgai while landing at the Chakeri airport in Kanpur on Thursday.
The 47 passengers on board and four crew members however escaped unhurt. The Delhi-Kanpur-Allahabad flight, CD 7801, had just landed at Kanpur when the incident occurred.
The pilot pulled the emergency brake after he noticed the nilgai on the runway, but the animal took a hit and died on the spot. Air India officials said damages to the nose of the plane forced cancellation of its onward flight to Allahabad.
"A team from Delhi was immediately sent to Kanpur to determine the extent of damage. However, since the aircraft went to the hanger on its own power after the accident, we don't think the damage was too severe," said an Air India spokesperson.
"The plane was landing at 12.33pm when it hit the nilgai," said Air India's area marketing manager Uma Shanker. "All the passengers are safe," he announced.
The airline sent the passengers to Allahabad by taxi, the official said. Allahabad high court judge Justice V N Trivedi and his wife were among the passengers. "There was panic among the passengers," said J S Yadav, a businessman from Allahabad, who was returning from Delhi.
Chakeri is an air force base and has been plagued by blue bulls for some years now. A few years ago, a plane carrying the then Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mulayam Singh Yadav was stranded at the airport for nearly an hour after a herd of nilgais blocked the runway.
According to sources, there are no boundary walls around the airfield to prevent the entry of animals on the runway, as yet. Several airports suffer from the problem of stray animals on runways and bird hits, possibly because many are located at some distance from the main city.
Delhi, till some time back, used to witness frequent scenes of animals straying on to the runway. Recently, the runway was closed for about half an hour after a dead jackal was discovered there. Mumbai still has stray dogs running around the airside.
"It is essential for authorities to ensure that aircraft get a clear way for landing and take-off. The incident at Kanpur could have been extremely dangerous and care should be taken to not allow such instances to happen again," said an official of Air India.
The 47 passengers on board and four crew members however escaped unhurt. The Delhi-Kanpur-Allahabad flight, CD 7801, had just landed at Kanpur when the incident occurred.
The pilot pulled the emergency brake after he noticed the nilgai on the runway, but the animal took a hit and died on the spot. Air India officials said damages to the nose of the plane forced cancellation of its onward flight to Allahabad.
"A team from Delhi was immediately sent to Kanpur to determine the extent of damage. However, since the aircraft went to the hanger on its own power after the accident, we don't think the damage was too severe," said an Air India spokesperson.
"The plane was landing at 12.33pm when it hit the nilgai," said Air India's area marketing manager Uma Shanker. "All the passengers are safe," he announced.
The airline sent the passengers to Allahabad by taxi, the official said. Allahabad high court judge Justice V N Trivedi and his wife were among the passengers. "There was panic among the passengers," said J S Yadav, a businessman from Allahabad, who was returning from Delhi.
Chakeri is an air force base and has been plagued by blue bulls for some years now. A few years ago, a plane carrying the then Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mulayam Singh Yadav was stranded at the airport for nearly an hour after a herd of nilgais blocked the runway.
According to sources, there are no boundary walls around the airfield to prevent the entry of animals on the runway, as yet. Several airports suffer from the problem of stray animals on runways and bird hits, possibly because many are located at some distance from the main city.
Delhi, till some time back, used to witness frequent scenes of animals straying on to the runway. Recently, the runway was closed for about half an hour after a dead jackal was discovered there. Mumbai still has stray dogs running around the airside.
"It is essential for authorities to ensure that aircraft get a clear way for landing and take-off. The incident at Kanpur could have been extremely dangerous and care should be taken to not allow such instances to happen again," said an official of Air India.
Park Air Systems to Provide Air Traffic Control Communications Systems Upgrade for India
Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE : NOC), announced that its Europe-based subsidiary, Park Air Systems, has been awarded a multi-million dollar contract from Airports Authority of India to provide a range of ground-to-air communication equipment as part of their VHF upgrade programme.
etquot ;Northrop Grumman Park Air Systems has a proven history of providing advanced communication equipment globally and we are looking forward to working with them to provide the upgrade of airport VHF radio systems throughout India with the same high quality service and equipment expected,etquot ; said a spokesperson for Airports Authority of India.
etquot ;We will be replacing and upgrading all Northrop Grumman Park Air Systems VHF equipment currently in use at airports across India, including ground-to-air radios and VDL-2 data link software, ensuring that the latest communication equipment is in place functioning at maximum capability,etquot ; said Charles Houseago, chairman of Northrop Grumman’s Park Air Systems.
Under the contract, Northrop Grumman Park Air Systems will be providing PAE T6 Multimode Digital Radio (MDR) transmitters and receivers with antennas together with training and spares. The PAE T6 MDR is a versatile range of software programmable radios satisfying the requirement for both analogue and digital communications within the airspace environment.
Northrop Grumman Park Air Systems, based in Peterborough, UK, and Oslo and Horten, Norway, supplies communication, navigation and surveillance systems for air-space operations worldwide. The company has been providing air traffic control and communications systems for military and civil applications in India for more than 20-years. Northrop Grumman also provides mission planning, tactical data links, battle space awareness and other C4ISR solutions. Northrop Grumman has offices across the Asia and Asia Pacific regions in Seoul, Korea ; Tokyo ; Taipei, Taiwan ; Singapore ; New Delhi ; and Canberra, Australia. Northrop Grumman opened its New Delhi office in November 2006.
Northrop Grumman Corporation is a US$32 billion global defence and technology company whose 120,000 employees provide innovative systems, products, and solutions in information and services, electronics, aerospace and shipbuilding to government and commercial customers worldwide.
Web site : http://www.northropgrumman.com
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Cochin international Airport Flight Schedule
COCHIN INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT - WINTER SCHEDULE-2007
INTERNATIONAL TERMINAL - WITH EFFECT FROM 28-10-2007
Click here to download the PDF format
INTERNATIONAL TERMINAL - WITH EFFECT FROM 28-10-2007
Click here to download the PDF format
BAngalore International Airport is getting ready for take-off
With the new international airport set to open March 30 in India's silicon city, domestic and foreign airlines are waiting in the wings to launch new services and increase frequencies from this southern hub to new and existing destinations both in India and abroad.
"We are getting a lot of enquiries from leading carriers operating in the domestic and international circuits," said Marcel Hunger Buehler, the chief executive for Bangalore International Airport Ltd.
"Many of them have come calling to inspect the facilities, including the four-km runway, parking bays, apron capacity, taxiways, air traffic control (ATC) and turn-around-time for quick landing and departure," Buehler told IANS at the project site in Devanahalli, around 37 km from the heart of the garden city.
"With the initial capacity of the greenfield airport being twice that of the existing airport in the city, airlines will have enough space to operate many flights efficiently and economically from day one. Domestic and international airlines can even scale their operations during peak and non-peak hours."
Bangalore has the third busiest airport in the country after Mumbai and Delhi due to the phenomenal growth of air traffic over the past three-four years, largely driven by a booming IT sector and all-round economic growth in the country.
"Bangalore airport has witnessed the fastest growth (30-35 percent) in the country in terms of passengers and cargo since our consortium signed the concession agreement (CA) with the central and state governments in July 2004 and took up construction a year later," Buehler said.
"When the 50-year-old state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) airport in the city surpassed the projected annual growth of eight million passengers in 2006-07, we had to revise the blueprint to club the first phase with the second phase for expanding the capacity to handle 10-12 million passengers over the next two-three years."
As part of the CA, the HAL airport will shut down for civilian operations March 29 midnight and all flights, including feeder services, will have to use the new airport.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is expected to formally inaugurate the airport March 28.
"Hong Kong-based Dragon Air and Oman Air, the national carrier of the Sultanate of Oman, have already sought clearance to operate daily service from the new airport. Existing international airlines, such as Lufthansa, Air France, British Airways, Singapore Airlines, Gulf Air and Emirates plan to increase the number of flights a week to provide better connectivity and more capacity."
"Similarly, domestic carriers such as Jet Airways and Kingfisher will launch international flights to Europe and the US in the coming months. We expect other airlines, including Air India and Malaysian Airlines to increase services to existing and newer destinations."
Passenger traffic from Bangalore is projected to increase by 26-30 percent in fiscal 2008-09 on domestic and international routes to achieve an annual growth rate of 40 percent.
Air cargo traffic is also poised to grow by about 30 percent due to huge capacity increase to handle about 300,000 tonnes of freight annually.
"In the long-run, Bengaluru airport will be positioned as a strategic hub in southern India for east-bound and west-bound flights, providing global airlines an alternative to Mumbai in the west and Delhi in the north."
"Our game plan is to take up the next phase of expansion in 12-18 months at an estimated cost of Rs.25 billion ($625 million) to handle 15 million passengers annually by 2014-15, with a second runaway to facilitate landing and taking-off every minute by an aircraft," Brunner said.
As against 24-26 flights every hour at the city airport during peak hours, the new airport will be able to operate 30 flights during the same time.
The combined first phase of the project has a fully air-conditioned central terminal for domestic and international passengers, rapid exits, 42 aircraft stands, eight passenger boarding bridges, 54 check-in counters and five belts, including two double belts to handle arrival baggage of 10 flights at a time.
Located on the east of Bangalore-Hyderabad national highway (NH7) and spread over 3,900 acres, the swanky airport will have parking place for about 2,000 cars at any given time, various auxiliary buildings, a fuel farm, rescue and fire fighting facilities, ground support equipment, airline support facilities, two major cargo warehouses and flight kitchens.
Built on a public-private partnership model, the airport will be operated by BIAL, a consortium of Unique Zurich Airport and Siemens Projects Ventures and Larson and Toubro with a combined equity stake of 74 percent and two state promoters Karnataka State Investment and Industrial Development Corp and Airports Authority of India holding the remaining 26 percent stake.
Taken from http://www.hindustantimes.com
"We are getting a lot of enquiries from leading carriers operating in the domestic and international circuits," said Marcel Hunger Buehler, the chief executive for Bangalore International Airport Ltd.
"Many of them have come calling to inspect the facilities, including the four-km runway, parking bays, apron capacity, taxiways, air traffic control (ATC) and turn-around-time for quick landing and departure," Buehler told IANS at the project site in Devanahalli, around 37 km from the heart of the garden city.
"With the initial capacity of the greenfield airport being twice that of the existing airport in the city, airlines will have enough space to operate many flights efficiently and economically from day one. Domestic and international airlines can even scale their operations during peak and non-peak hours."
Bangalore has the third busiest airport in the country after Mumbai and Delhi due to the phenomenal growth of air traffic over the past three-four years, largely driven by a booming IT sector and all-round economic growth in the country.
"Bangalore airport has witnessed the fastest growth (30-35 percent) in the country in terms of passengers and cargo since our consortium signed the concession agreement (CA) with the central and state governments in July 2004 and took up construction a year later," Buehler said.
"When the 50-year-old state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) airport in the city surpassed the projected annual growth of eight million passengers in 2006-07, we had to revise the blueprint to club the first phase with the second phase for expanding the capacity to handle 10-12 million passengers over the next two-three years."
As part of the CA, the HAL airport will shut down for civilian operations March 29 midnight and all flights, including feeder services, will have to use the new airport.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is expected to formally inaugurate the airport March 28.
"Hong Kong-based Dragon Air and Oman Air, the national carrier of the Sultanate of Oman, have already sought clearance to operate daily service from the new airport. Existing international airlines, such as Lufthansa, Air France, British Airways, Singapore Airlines, Gulf Air and Emirates plan to increase the number of flights a week to provide better connectivity and more capacity."
"Similarly, domestic carriers such as Jet Airways and Kingfisher will launch international flights to Europe and the US in the coming months. We expect other airlines, including Air India and Malaysian Airlines to increase services to existing and newer destinations."
Passenger traffic from Bangalore is projected to increase by 26-30 percent in fiscal 2008-09 on domestic and international routes to achieve an annual growth rate of 40 percent.
Air cargo traffic is also poised to grow by about 30 percent due to huge capacity increase to handle about 300,000 tonnes of freight annually.
"In the long-run, Bengaluru airport will be positioned as a strategic hub in southern India for east-bound and west-bound flights, providing global airlines an alternative to Mumbai in the west and Delhi in the north."
"Our game plan is to take up the next phase of expansion in 12-18 months at an estimated cost of Rs.25 billion ($625 million) to handle 15 million passengers annually by 2014-15, with a second runaway to facilitate landing and taking-off every minute by an aircraft," Brunner said.
As against 24-26 flights every hour at the city airport during peak hours, the new airport will be able to operate 30 flights during the same time.
The combined first phase of the project has a fully air-conditioned central terminal for domestic and international passengers, rapid exits, 42 aircraft stands, eight passenger boarding bridges, 54 check-in counters and five belts, including two double belts to handle arrival baggage of 10 flights at a time.
Located on the east of Bangalore-Hyderabad national highway (NH7) and spread over 3,900 acres, the swanky airport will have parking place for about 2,000 cars at any given time, various auxiliary buildings, a fuel farm, rescue and fire fighting facilities, ground support equipment, airline support facilities, two major cargo warehouses and flight kitchens.
Built on a public-private partnership model, the airport will be operated by BIAL, a consortium of Unique Zurich Airport and Siemens Projects Ventures and Larson and Toubro with a combined equity stake of 74 percent and two state promoters Karnataka State Investment and Industrial Development Corp and Airports Authority of India holding the remaining 26 percent stake.
Taken from http://www.hindustantimes.com
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Traffic Congestion Over Indian Skies
Every month six aircraft are added to the Indian airspace. In 2006-07, 60 million people travelled by air in the country—half of them preferred other modes till five years ago. The aviation sector is indeed growing at a steep rate. Here is the downside: congestion, flight delays and diversions; all leading to enormous fuel wastage.
The average wastage of fuel per flight operating between Delhi and Mumbai, the two most congested airports in the country, is 30-40 per cent, says Ravi Capoor, the executive director of the Petroleum Conservation Research Association, an energy auditing agency
Ever since the domestic open-sky policy came into force towards the end of 2003, the stage was set for the entry of private carriers in a big way.
The spurt in growth came in 2005 when three more airlines—Kingfisher, SpiceJet and GoAir—joined the Indian skies. At present, there are 10 major domestic airlines. In the pipeline are regional airlines. By 2012 the combined fleet of all airlines in the country would have increased by 480—India’s aircraft-strength in March 2007 was 310. The good thing is India will have a fleet of new-generation, fuel-efficient aircraft, but this advantage will be nullified if infrastructure does not keep pace with growing traffic. Already there is congestion in the air.
Though fog is notorious for causing flight delays in winter, it is not the only culprit. Congestion resulting from inadequate infrastructure and manpower is also running up the aviation fuel bill. In 1997-98, the demand for aviation turbine fuel (atf) was 2,108 tonnes. This grew by 90 per cent to 4,008 tonnes in 2006-07. Demand is now breaching records. As per provisional figures available with the petroleum ministry in December 2007, 419 tonnes of atf was sold, the highest ever in a month.
While no exact data is available on fuel lost due to fog delays, it is estimated to be a sizeable 35-40 per cent, depending on the flight and the distance it covers, says an industry source. The worst-hit is the Delhi airport, which witnessed more than 800 fog hours between December 2006 and January 2007 (see box: Fogged out). When the runway visibility range drops below 800 metres, the number of flights using a runway is restricted to eight in half an hour. Though the Delhi airport is equipped with cat III B instrument landing system that enables flight operations in poor visibility, aircraft operators prefer not to risk foggy conditions. On February 6, 2008, over 150 flights coming to and going out of Delhi were delayed by up to three hours, while 18 flights were diverted and 18 cancelled due to dense fog. This costs airlines a great deal.
Up in smoke
Take an example of a plane flying from Mumbai to Delhi. Under normal conditions a new generation Boeing or Airbus will take two hours and use up 4,500 kg of atf for the journey . A number of pilots Down To Earth spoke to, said it was common in the two airports for a flight to stay in the air for an extra hour. For every hour a plane hovers in the sky, it consumes between 2,200 kg and 2,400 kg of atf. In case of a half-hour delay, it can consume between 25 and 30 per cent extra fuel. And if the flight is diverted, say, to Ahmedabad, it is another hour of flying time, and the plane will consume close to 80 per cent extra fuel.
Considering that the Delhi airport handles 600-650 flights every day, the total emissions and cost to airlines are huge. One hour of hovering costs an airline over Rs 1 lakh. There are over 40 flights that operate about 80 trips between Mumbai and Delhi every day. If all of them have an average circling time of 30 minutes each, about 92,000 kg (or 115,000 litres) of fuel will go waste. This means over Rs 44 lakh gone down the drain in a day. And we haven’t even begun to count the national loss.
In terms of emissions, the 115,000 extra litres of fuel burnt every day between Mumbai and Delhi means 248.2 tonnes of co2 pumped into the atmosphere, or pollution caused by 161 small cars running for a year. Aviation fuel, which is a form of kerosene, produces about 2.158 kg of co2 emissions per litre consumed. These are rough estimates. Under actual conditions, fuel consumption depends on a number of factors, including fuel usage during take-off and landing. During take-off, fuel burn is the maximum, almost 8,000 litres an hour. During economic landing mode, fuel burn can be less than 300 litres an hour. Winds and jet streams also affect an aircraft’s fuel efficiency.
Emissions from aviation in India have not been studied formally. The Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, along with the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, is conducting a study, which will be out later this year. Aircraft in India, says Capoor, consume 5-6 litres of aviation fuel to transport 100 passengers over a kilometre against the international standard of 3.5 litres.
A senior pilot with SpiceJet says at times because of congestion, air traffic controllers (atcs) instruct pilots to slow down while approaching an airport, which burns precious fuel by bringing the speed down from the optimum level. Fuel efficiency also depends on the height at which a plane flies. “Often due to congestion, if two flights have taken off in the same direction, the second flight will need to fly at a lower height to maintain a minimum vertical separation, shooting up fuel consumption,” he says.
Plain truth
When the government claims that airport infrastructure is gearing up to meet the challenge, it tells you only the half truth. No doubt infrastructure is being added at a rapid pace. Greenfield airports, brownfield airports, capacity addition and modernization are the buzzwords at the civil aviation ministry. But there are infrastructural problems building more airports cannot address.
One of the long-standing issues has been radar integration, says an official of the International Air Transport Association. In radar-networked areas all radars are interconnected to give details about the position of all aircraft within a territorial zone. But radar integration is not possible because almost 40 per cent of India’s civil airspace has no radar coverage. This leads to delays and underutilization of airspace. In areas with no radar coverage, a minimum separation of 80 nautical miles or 10 minutes of flying time is to be maintained against a gap of one minute 15 seconds for radar-networked areas.
Last year, the government decided to look into the issue, but industry insiders say the plan to integrate radars is a pipedream. “The problem with Indian radars is that they have not been supplied by a single vendor. Integrating these radars, which have been provided by three vendors, will be an uphill task,” says a ministry official. Airports in Delhi and Mumbai use radars provided by Raytheon. Airports in Chennai, Thiruvananthapuram and some other cities use Westinghouse radars. Those in Bangalore and Hyderabad use radars provided by Selex. Integrating them into one system will be very difficult.
There is another technological glitch. atcs use the Radar Data Processor System and the Flight Data Processing System to monitor and guide aircraft into airports. Both the systems need to be integrated for safe landings and take-offs. Under an integrated system the data of flights are automatically read by the radar data processor to ascertain the number of flights approaching the airport. Only Delhi and Mumbai have the integrated system. In other airports the atcs have to constantly feed in flight data and also delete older data manually. This leads to diversion and wastage of time.
No control
Dearth of trained atcs is another problem. In 2000, there were only 50 airports in the country. In 2007, the number climbed to 82. However, between 2000 and 2005 the government did not recruit a single atc. The Roy Paul Committee set up by the aviation ministry in 2005 had indicated that more then 200 atc posts needed to be filled up immediately. A report released by the Association of Chambers of Commerce and Industry in December 2007 stated that the number of atcs required in India could be as high 1,500.
An official of the civil aviation ministry, however, said India needed at least 4,000-5,000 atcs to ensure smooth operations. At present, there are only 1,500 atcs in the country. Delhi had just about 180 atcs, and it needs another 80-90 to handle air traffic, he added. Airports in Ahmedabad, Nagpur and Chennai also need to double their atc strength. Airspace over an airport is divided into sectors depending on the number of aircraft in the skies. Unless the airports get more atcs, they cannot open more sectors.
Is it possible to meet the demand quickly? The Civil Aviation Training College in Allahabad can train 160 atcs in a year. They will then need a year of basic training and three years of on-the-job training before taking up radar duties. Another facility being set up in Hyderabad will be able to train not more than 70 atcs. Both the training facilities cannot churn out enough number of trainee atcs in two years, forget about the trained ones. It seems India’s aviation sector has taken to an unsustainable and wasteful course.
Taken from http://www.downtoearth.org.in/default.htm
The average wastage of fuel per flight operating between Delhi and Mumbai, the two most congested airports in the country, is 30-40 per cent, says Ravi Capoor, the executive director of the Petroleum Conservation Research Association, an energy auditing agency
Ever since the domestic open-sky policy came into force towards the end of 2003, the stage was set for the entry of private carriers in a big way.
The spurt in growth came in 2005 when three more airlines—Kingfisher, SpiceJet and GoAir—joined the Indian skies. At present, there are 10 major domestic airlines. In the pipeline are regional airlines. By 2012 the combined fleet of all airlines in the country would have increased by 480—India’s aircraft-strength in March 2007 was 310. The good thing is India will have a fleet of new-generation, fuel-efficient aircraft, but this advantage will be nullified if infrastructure does not keep pace with growing traffic. Already there is congestion in the air.
Though fog is notorious for causing flight delays in winter, it is not the only culprit. Congestion resulting from inadequate infrastructure and manpower is also running up the aviation fuel bill. In 1997-98, the demand for aviation turbine fuel (atf) was 2,108 tonnes. This grew by 90 per cent to 4,008 tonnes in 2006-07. Demand is now breaching records. As per provisional figures available with the petroleum ministry in December 2007, 419 tonnes of atf was sold, the highest ever in a month.
While no exact data is available on fuel lost due to fog delays, it is estimated to be a sizeable 35-40 per cent, depending on the flight and the distance it covers, says an industry source. The worst-hit is the Delhi airport, which witnessed more than 800 fog hours between December 2006 and January 2007 (see box: Fogged out). When the runway visibility range drops below 800 metres, the number of flights using a runway is restricted to eight in half an hour. Though the Delhi airport is equipped with cat III B instrument landing system that enables flight operations in poor visibility, aircraft operators prefer not to risk foggy conditions. On February 6, 2008, over 150 flights coming to and going out of Delhi were delayed by up to three hours, while 18 flights were diverted and 18 cancelled due to dense fog. This costs airlines a great deal.
Up in smoke
Take an example of a plane flying from Mumbai to Delhi. Under normal conditions a new generation Boeing or Airbus will take two hours and use up 4,500 kg of atf for the journey . A number of pilots Down To Earth spoke to, said it was common in the two airports for a flight to stay in the air for an extra hour. For every hour a plane hovers in the sky, it consumes between 2,200 kg and 2,400 kg of atf. In case of a half-hour delay, it can consume between 25 and 30 per cent extra fuel. And if the flight is diverted, say, to Ahmedabad, it is another hour of flying time, and the plane will consume close to 80 per cent extra fuel.
Considering that the Delhi airport handles 600-650 flights every day, the total emissions and cost to airlines are huge. One hour of hovering costs an airline over Rs 1 lakh. There are over 40 flights that operate about 80 trips between Mumbai and Delhi every day. If all of them have an average circling time of 30 minutes each, about 92,000 kg (or 115,000 litres) of fuel will go waste. This means over Rs 44 lakh gone down the drain in a day. And we haven’t even begun to count the national loss.
In terms of emissions, the 115,000 extra litres of fuel burnt every day between Mumbai and Delhi means 248.2 tonnes of co2 pumped into the atmosphere, or pollution caused by 161 small cars running for a year. Aviation fuel, which is a form of kerosene, produces about 2.158 kg of co2 emissions per litre consumed. These are rough estimates. Under actual conditions, fuel consumption depends on a number of factors, including fuel usage during take-off and landing. During take-off, fuel burn is the maximum, almost 8,000 litres an hour. During economic landing mode, fuel burn can be less than 300 litres an hour. Winds and jet streams also affect an aircraft’s fuel efficiency.
Emissions from aviation in India have not been studied formally. The Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, along with the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, is conducting a study, which will be out later this year. Aircraft in India, says Capoor, consume 5-6 litres of aviation fuel to transport 100 passengers over a kilometre against the international standard of 3.5 litres.
A senior pilot with SpiceJet says at times because of congestion, air traffic controllers (atcs) instruct pilots to slow down while approaching an airport, which burns precious fuel by bringing the speed down from the optimum level. Fuel efficiency also depends on the height at which a plane flies. “Often due to congestion, if two flights have taken off in the same direction, the second flight will need to fly at a lower height to maintain a minimum vertical separation, shooting up fuel consumption,” he says.
Plain truth
When the government claims that airport infrastructure is gearing up to meet the challenge, it tells you only the half truth. No doubt infrastructure is being added at a rapid pace. Greenfield airports, brownfield airports, capacity addition and modernization are the buzzwords at the civil aviation ministry. But there are infrastructural problems building more airports cannot address.
One of the long-standing issues has been radar integration, says an official of the International Air Transport Association. In radar-networked areas all radars are interconnected to give details about the position of all aircraft within a territorial zone. But radar integration is not possible because almost 40 per cent of India’s civil airspace has no radar coverage. This leads to delays and underutilization of airspace. In areas with no radar coverage, a minimum separation of 80 nautical miles or 10 minutes of flying time is to be maintained against a gap of one minute 15 seconds for radar-networked areas.
Last year, the government decided to look into the issue, but industry insiders say the plan to integrate radars is a pipedream. “The problem with Indian radars is that they have not been supplied by a single vendor. Integrating these radars, which have been provided by three vendors, will be an uphill task,” says a ministry official. Airports in Delhi and Mumbai use radars provided by Raytheon. Airports in Chennai, Thiruvananthapuram and some other cities use Westinghouse radars. Those in Bangalore and Hyderabad use radars provided by Selex. Integrating them into one system will be very difficult.
There is another technological glitch. atcs use the Radar Data Processor System and the Flight Data Processing System to monitor and guide aircraft into airports. Both the systems need to be integrated for safe landings and take-offs. Under an integrated system the data of flights are automatically read by the radar data processor to ascertain the number of flights approaching the airport. Only Delhi and Mumbai have the integrated system. In other airports the atcs have to constantly feed in flight data and also delete older data manually. This leads to diversion and wastage of time.
No control
Dearth of trained atcs is another problem. In 2000, there were only 50 airports in the country. In 2007, the number climbed to 82. However, between 2000 and 2005 the government did not recruit a single atc. The Roy Paul Committee set up by the aviation ministry in 2005 had indicated that more then 200 atc posts needed to be filled up immediately. A report released by the Association of Chambers of Commerce and Industry in December 2007 stated that the number of atcs required in India could be as high 1,500.
An official of the civil aviation ministry, however, said India needed at least 4,000-5,000 atcs to ensure smooth operations. At present, there are only 1,500 atcs in the country. Delhi had just about 180 atcs, and it needs another 80-90 to handle air traffic, he added. Airports in Ahmedabad, Nagpur and Chennai also need to double their atc strength. Airspace over an airport is divided into sectors depending on the number of aircraft in the skies. Unless the airports get more atcs, they cannot open more sectors.
Is it possible to meet the demand quickly? The Civil Aviation Training College in Allahabad can train 160 atcs in a year. They will then need a year of basic training and three years of on-the-job training before taking up radar duties. Another facility being set up in Hyderabad will be able to train not more than 70 atcs. Both the training facilities cannot churn out enough number of trainee atcs in two years, forget about the trained ones. It seems India’s aviation sector has taken to an unsustainable and wasteful course.
Taken from http://www.downtoearth.org.in/default.htm
Friday, February 8, 2008
Emergency landing at Cochin
Kochi: A piece of tyre found on the runway at Muscat airport gave some anxious moments to crew and passengers of an Oman Air flight, which landed here this morning under "full emergency" preparations.
However, all the tyres of the aircraft, which were examined later, were found intact, airport sources said. The flight later took off on its return journey an hour later.
There were 108 passengers and crew on board the flight. The flight from Muscat landed here at the International airport at 7 am with "full emergency" after the Air Traffic Control was informed that a piece of wheel tyre of the aircraft was found on the runway of the Muscat airport.
The Pilot of the flight was immediately informed and he requested the Kochi airport authorities to allow low flying over the airport to enable the safety officers of the airport to see if any of the tyres had its edges chipped.
The airport authorities informed various agencies to make immediate arrangements for "full emergency" landing. Ambulance vehicles and fire mobile units were pressed into service to meet any eventuality.
The pilot operated 'touch and go' exercise at the airport to test the defect of the tyre and then safely landed the aircraft.
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
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