Availability of 3 runways with ILS could reduce flight delays

Flyers may expect less number of flight delays during the fog this winter with all the three runways of the Indira Gandhi International airport in New Delhi being equipped with the Instrumental Landing System.

Flyers may expect less number of flight delays during the fog this winter with all the three runways of the Indira Gandhi International airport in New Delhi being equipped with the Instrumental Landing System.

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"The second runway (27/09), after the recarpeting work and installation of Category I ILS, is ready and in operation from November 18. We will now have all three runways for operations during this fog season," an IGI Airport spokesperson said.

By February next year, the Airports Authority of India (AAI), which is in charge of the runways, would also finish the installation of ILS on Dwarka (09) side, he said.

After the recarpeting and installation of CAT-I ILS, which cost around Rs 30 crore and was not part of Operation, Management and Development Agreement (OMDA), the runway would be available for landing of CAT-I compliant aircraft when the visibility is up to 550 metres.

"Earlier, this runway could not be used during mild fog, when visibility is more than 550 metres, as it could be used only when the visibility was more than 1,600 metres," the spokesperson said.

In order to make the main runway (28/10) available for operations under the Category III-B fog, when the visibility drops up to 50 metres, airport operator, Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL), will undertake photometric test of the runway lightings.