Quick take-offs, landings, safer airspace at IGI

The Delhi airport can now hope to cut the "hovering time" for aircraft and also expect a safer airspace. The Indira Gandhi International Airport has started using an advanced air traffic management system that leaves little room for human error.

The Delhi airport can now hope to cut the "hovering time" for aircraft and also expect a safer airspace. The Indira Gandhi International Airport has started using an advanced air traffic management system that leaves little room for human error.

HT Image

It also promises to decongest the airport, which handles more than 1,000 flights a day.

From last month, the air traffic control (ATC) has moved to performance-based navigation (PBN). Earlier, pilots depended on the ATC for take off, navigation and landing.

They were guided through voice communication, leading to radio congestion with chances of confusion as a controller handled more than one aircraft at the same time.

With PBN, separate routes are prepared for arrivals and departures and a detailed plan is fed into an aircraft's navigation system.

The plan includes detailed route, height and level an aircraft needs to maintain and exact time of take-off and landing.

"We've fine-tuned the procedure for PBN to remove traffic conflict and achieve smooth transition," said an Airports Authority of India spokesman.