Delhi airport to have country's tallest ATC tower

Delhi airport will soon have the tallest Air Traffic Control (ATC) tower in the country which will be 26m taller than the 76m-tall Qutub Minar. This will also be the third tallest structure of Delhi after the TV tower in Pitampura and the Civic Centre.

Delhi airport will soon have the tallest Air Traffic Control (ATC) tower in the country which will be 26m taller than the 76m-tall Qutub Minar. This will also be the third tallest structure of Delhi after the TV tower in Pitampura and the Civic Centre.

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The tower which will be commissioned by mid-2014 will be the 7th tallest ATC tower in the world. After having the biggest terminal and the longest runway, Delhi airport will also have the tallest ATC tower.

Civil aviation minister Ajit Singh laid the foundation stone of the new ATC tower at India Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) on Wednesday morning. "This tower will give the controllers a commanding view of the entire airport, as well as a much larger working space. I am sure the city of Delhi will add this tower to its list of landmarks pretty soon," Singh said.

The new 102m tower will be built adjacent to the present ATC tower. The new ATC tower will have 21 controller positions with a 360 degree view of the visual control room and 12 ground controller positions at operational level.

This will also be the first time that Tuned Mass Damper (TMD) technology will be used in the country to increase the comfort of occupants and reduce building sway. This technology acts as shock absorber. Another unique feature of this upcoming tower is its design, which embodies the history and regional characteristics of India.

Officials said the utilisation of the three runways will be maximised with the new tower and Delhi airport can achieve much higher air traffic movement per hour, from the current level of 65.

The present ATC complex is a 60m high tower that was built in 1999.