Flights are grounded yet Delhi airport ATC still at work

As soon as a cargo plane lifts off the only functional runway out of the three available at the Indira Gandhi International Airport a controller inside the Delhi’s

As soon as a cargo plane lifts off the only functional runway out of the three available at the Indira Gandhi International Airport a controller inside the Delhi’s Air Traffic Control tower leaves his chair to pace the circular room; the next scheduled departure is an hour later. He sanitizes his hands and returns to his workstation and starts arguably interacting with the only other controller in the room. The repartee is part of their routine to stay alert for the duration of their 12-hour shift.

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This is the scene inside the country’s busiest air traffic control tower, which used to handle an average of at least 1,300 flight operations in a day. Since the lockdown, the usual average air traffic of one flight per minute has reduced to one flight per hour.

“We are used to working at a fast pace. With very little work on our platter now as compared to the time before the lockdown, it is tough to stay alert. The new routine is tough and then we will have to tune ourselves back to a more demanding situation when passenger air traffic resumes,” an air traffic controller at the IGIA, who did not wish to be named.

India had suspended all international flights on March 22. Three days later, on March 25, from the first day of the nationwide lockdown now extended till May 3, all domestic flight operations were also suspended. Yet, the eyes of the air traffic control staff must stay glued to the screen; always alert.

An air traffic controller directs the pilot from the moment the plane is ready for start-up at the airport of departure until the time it is parked at the destination airport.

Explaining the sensitivity of their job, a controller said that an airborne plane flies at a speed of approximately 800-900kmph. “It is always a race against time. A pilot has less reaction time to see and avoid an aircraft in the vicinity. There is no room for error or risk. Distraction for a split second can lead to disaster when hundreds of people are travelling at a height of more than 30,000 feet,” the controller said.

Senior officers said that because of the country’s air traffic has reduced by 96% to 98%. However, they said, that even at a time when the entire airport is shut, the air traffic controllers are working round-the-clock to ensure smooth movement of cargo, relief flights and defence flights.

However, despite less work, the controllers said they can’t leave their workstations. They cannot carry their cell phones inside the tower or listen to songs or watch a movie. “The rules are strict and our work requires a lot of discipline. We can’t take our eyes off the screen even for a minute. When it was business as usual, we used to work at war-like alertness every day as there were flights every minute. Now, the average air traffic handled by the Delhi ATC is roughly around 50-60 flights a day. Even though it’s little easier now, traffic using our air space has to be monitored, which keeps us engaged,” said a controller, who wished not to be named.

As all passenger aircrafts are grounded, the Delhi airport is currently using only one of its three runways. While one has been converted into a parking area for grounded aircraft, the other one is kept vacant to handle any emergency situation.

Explaining the usual operations, a senior Delhi ATC officer said earlier 60 controllers used to work in one shift, but now they’re engaging only 20 controllers per shift. “Flight operations are not even 5% of what we usually witness; we are managing efficiently with 20 controllers in a shift. With this, we are keeping 40 controllers on standby at any given time. If any of the controllers show signs of an illness, we can ask the entire shift to quarantine themselves and a fresh lot of controllers is available to take over. This way we can ensure round-the-clock functioning of the ATC. Contribution of the ground handling staff, the ground controllers and other staff working to make ATC operations a success, is also commendable in these times,” the officer said, requesting anonymity.

Recently, the air traffic controllers were also exempted from undergoing the mandatory breath analyzer tests to avoid any possibility of spreading the infection.

Vineet Gulati, member of Air Navigation Service, said the controllers have been given face masks which they wear at all times throughout their shifts. “Since the workstations are also used by controllers in other shifts, we keep sanitizing our hands time to time and regularly fumigate the machines, equipment and furniture. Even in other areas, physical distancing rules are being followed and our staff is seated at adequate distance from each other. All necessary measures are being taken for smooth and uninterrupted functioning of the Delhi air traffic control,” Gulati said.