E-Paper
Brace for grounding of flights at Chandigarh airport this winter too
Awaiting defence ministry’s permission, work on installing advance instrument landing system stalled
People planning to travel from Chandigarh International Airport this winter should brace for cancellation of flights, just like in previous years.
Reason: Installation of the CAT-3 instrument landing system (ILS) at the airport has been delayed again.
An ILS allows pilots to land using instruments when they are unable to establish a visual contact with the runway, especially when their is poor visibility. Fog and inclement weather affects visibility and hits operations at the Chandigarh airport every winter, especially during the peak season in December and January.
The CAT-3 system permits flight operations even when visibility drops to as low as 50 metres. At present, the airport has CAT-2 system, which works only till as low as 350m visibility. An aircraft requires at least 100m visibility to land safely.
Work allotted in April
It was in April this year that all stakeholders, including the civil aviation ministry, Indian Air Force and the Airport Authority of India (AAI), agreed to install the much-needed advance ILS at the airport.
Even as the AAI board of directors approved to allot the work for installation of CAT-3 ILS to Tata Power Strategic Engineering Division the same month, the agency is yet to start the work as the defence ministry’s permission is awaited.
In June, the initial deadline to complete the work by October was moved to December 2019.
According to sources, the work will now begin in October and not finish before April 2020.
Confirming it, Chandigarh International Airport Limited chief executive officer (CEO) Suneel Dutt said: “The work has been delayed as we have not got the defence ministry’s permission yet. It will take a few more months to install the advance landing system. It will be in place before the winter in 2020.”
Sanjeev Vashisht, a member of the airport advisory committee, said: “I request the authorities concerned to expedite the work and grant necessary permissions. In the absence of CAT-3 system, passengers have to bear the brunt as many flights are cancelled due to foggy conditions in winters.”
Another senior officer of the airport said it was take at least six months for the agency to complete the work once requisite permissions are received.
The Tata subsidiary, which has been allotted the work, is already in the process to upgrade the CAT-2 system. It has installed the facility lights, but the work will take another two months to complete. Meanwhile, even as round-the-clock operations began at the airport with the runway expansion on April 10, not a single wide-bodied aircraft, used for intercontinental travel, has been deployed by the operators.
