Delhi airport to buy Doppler radar to aid landings in inclement weather

NEW DELHI: Flights will soon be able to land at the Delhi airport even in bad weather. After 85 flights were diverted and hundreds delayed in May and June due to

NEW DELHI: Flights will soon be able to land at the Delhi airport even in bad weather. After 85 flights were diverted and hundreds delayed in May and June due to thunderstorms, the airport is procuring Terminal Doppler Radar (TDR).

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The TDR is a system with a three-dimensional “pencil beam” that primarily detects hazardous wind shear conditions, precipitation, and winds aloft.

According to a Met official, the radar can tell you the type of cloud and whether the condition is suitable for a flight to land. Currently, in case of a thunderstorm and high wind speed, flights are diverted to a nearby airport.

“Usually, we check the weather condition manually before asking the pilots to divert the flight. The new equipment will assess the weather accurately and help the officials take the appropriate decision,” said an airport official, requesting anonymity.

Compared to other weather radars, the TDR has a finer range resolution — meaning it can observe the atmosphere more minutely. The TDR has a narrower beam.

In May 2008, 83 flights were diverted due to thunderstorm. This year has seen the highest number of diversions due to thunderstorm. “In fog, the number of diversions has fallen due to advanced technologies,” the official said.

The Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) usually experiences about 60 thunderstorms every year, the lowest number being 22 in 2002 and the highest 105 in 2010. On average, 16 thunderstorms are associated with stronger squally winds and dust storms. The year 2014 saw a minimum of two storms and 1997 a maximum of 27.

These are seasonal storms with almost 80% occurring during pre-monsoon and early monsoon period from May to August.