Home

Reserve Hotels in New Delhi Reserve Hotels in Agra

  Aviation News

Back to Index

Air traffic control being geared up: Praful Patel

      New Delhi: The Minister for Civil Aviation, Praful Patel, said on Tuesday that the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has taken a number of steps to improve Air Traffic Control (ATC) system so as to reduce congestion at major airports in the country. Speaking in the Rajya Sabha, Patel said that the increase in total aircraft movement for the year 2004-05 was 11.9 per cent over the total traffic handled in 2003-04. During the months of April to December last year, he said, the aircraft movements grew by 13.3 per cent over the same period of 2004-05. "AAI is managing the air traffic in accordance with the standard prescribed by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)," he said. He fpointed out some of the steps taken by AAI to reduce congestion at major airports, including construction of additional taxiways like parallel taxiways, rapid exit taxiway and other link taxiways to reduce runway occupancy time and thereby increase capacity. Besides, construction of additional parking stands, proposal for simultaneous use of both runways, framing of improved ATC procedures, ban on general aviation aircraft during the peak periods at Delhi and Mumbai airports are among some of the steps being taken by the AAI. He also said that dedicated Clearance Delivery Position has been implemented at Mumbai and Delhi during peak period time and provision of Automatic Dependence Surveillance System- Controller Pilot Data Link Communication at Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai and Kolkata airports.

    Briefing about the strike by the AAI employees in January and February, Patel said that it caused cancellation of flights and financial losses to a number of airlines. He said that some airlines namely Jet Airways, Sahara Airlines, Air Deccan, Kingfisher Airlines and Spice Jet suffered losses upto Rs. 60 lakhs, Rs. 39.75 lakhs, Rs. 100 lakhs, Rs. 45 lakhs and Rs. 20 lakhs respectively. Jet Airways, Sahara Airlines, Air Deccan and Spice Jet had to cancel 35 flights altogether. However, the strike did not cause any loss to AAI. The Airports Authority Employees Union and AAI Joint Forum had organized agitation and resorted to protest rallies against the move of Government to modernize the Delhi and Mumbai Airports through joint venture route. The strike commenced from on January 30 and continued till February three. The Minister also told the Rajya Sabha that the Amritsar airport is being upgraded and developed at an estimated cost of Rs. 79.27 crores. "The upgradation and development of infrastructure including the Terminal Building under first phase at Amritsar Airport is in final stage of completion. The ancillary buildings such as Cargo Terminal, Fire Station and ATC cum Technical Block have been completed," he said, adding that the arrival and departure areas of the Terminal Building have been made operational and are being utilised by the various Airline agencies.
-Mar 7,  2006

List of Leading Indian News Papers