New system to cut flight delays

Very often you must have sat frustrated on your seat as your aircraft hovered over the busy Delhi or Mumbai airport, looking for a signal to land. In two months, that’s going to change.

Very often you must have sat frustrated on your seat as your aircraft hovered over the busy Delhi or Mumbai airport, looking for a signal to land. In two months, that’s going to change.

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On August 1, the government will introduce a new navigation system at the Delhi and Mumbai airports — the busiest in the country — that would allow more landings and take-offs.

The performance-based navigation system would accommodate more aircraft in a given space — by bringing down the minimum separation between two planes — and line them up for landing. The current separation of 5 nautical miles will come down to 3 , which is the norm worldwide.

Currently, maximum 40 aircraft movements (landings and take-offs) per hour can take place at Delhi and 33 at Mumbai. This will increase by 25-30%.

Airport officials said airlines would have to train their pilots.

“Success of this system depends on pilot discipline. They have to maintain systematic speed and vacate the runway quickly after landing,” an official said. The system will be introduced in Ahmedabad too to acclimatise air traffic control officers.