AAI moves forward on upgrades

Neelam Mathews

Increased air traffic creating infrastructural constraints has led the Airports Authority of India (AAI) to move fast forward with several actions to alleviate problems, AAI chairman, K Ramalingam informed a workshop organised by the Asia Pacific Aviation Media Association (APAMA) India Chapter on Air Traffic Management.

APAMA, India, is a network of aviation writers and the aviation industry including airlines, manufacturers, aligned businesses and planners, formed to create awareness and understanding of micro and macro issues of the changing scenario of the aviation industry.

AAI, few realise, is entrusted with responsibility for provision of Air Navigational Services (ANS), infrastructure and Air Traffic Services (ATS) over the designated air spaces. Besides the sovereign airspace of India, India has accepted responsibility and provides ATS over 3.8 million sq. km area in the Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean in accordance with ICAO rules governing designation of airspace over high seas.

India's total airspace of approximately 6 million sq. km has been divided into four Flight Information Regions (FIRs) for better and efficient airspace management functions - Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai (Guwahati being a sub FIR)

AAI is responsible for providing ATS to greenfield airports, developed by private operators and even limited navigation services at defence airfields.

In all, it manages 127 airports which include:

• 14 international airports,
• 2 joint venture airports,
• 8 customs airports,
• 24 civil enclaves and
• 79 domestic airports

Airspace management is a pressing requirement with talks on between the military and the aviation ministry to work out a plan for flexi-use of air space. Ramalingam says defence officials involved in the talks have reciprocated and soon a decision will be made on this. It is believed over 65 per cent of airspace over Delhi and Mumbai is blocked for military flights. Preferred routes implementation, networking of military/civilian radars and consolidation of airspace, may soon become a reality.

With hospitals and corporates having made pleas to permit helipads on buildings and the recent DGCA announcement to permit the Tata group to start a helipad from the rooftop on Wellington Mews in Mumbai and proposals from Delhi too in tow, dedicated helicopter routes may soon be announced the AAI.

Even the shift from ground to satellite-based communication, navigation and surveillance (CNS) systems in order to cope with the burgeoning air traffic in the country is on.

The ambitious Rs 644 crore GPS-based Geo Augmentation Navigation (GAGAN) project - jointly executed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the Airports Authority of India - having completed its phase one, will provide augmented information for satellite navigation to aircraft flying over Indian airspace and the routes over the seas, said Ramalingam. It has eight reference stations including Delhi, Guwahati, Jammu and Port Blair, and a mission control centre in Bangalore.

For this purpose, the AAI has already acquired three KingAir aircraft fitted with the required equipment to test and calibrate the system, which is now being operated for trials through the INMARSAT.

The final technology demonstration test of the GAGAN is to be conducted in the next few months and it will be commissioned by December 2010 following integration of a satellite with the ground-based centres across the country. India will be the fourth in the world after the US, EU and Japan to have such a system.

''The initiative (GAGAN) will result in significant reduction in delays and congestion. We're not going to lag behind any country in the world,'' adds Ramalingam.

AAI's vision for the surveillance system for the future is the Automatic Dependent Surveillance - Broadcast (ADS-B), a surveillance technique for aircraft and ground users which requires a data link and an on-board system, provides parameters such as position, track and ground speed via broadcast mode at specified intervals. ADS-B can be used as radar coverage gap filler and also as backup to radar facility. A beginning has been made with ADS-B trials already been conducted in India.

While the trial was successful, with only 10.36 per cent of aircraft equipped with ADS-B transponders could use the facility. "We can only recommend it for use after there is significant improvement in aircraft equipage," says Ramalingam.

Capacity enhancements are also in place. In Delhi, two simultaneous runway operations are being planned. AAI is looking at additional control positions in tower. At Mumbai, which has cross-runway operations, all arrivals and international departures will take place from runway 27 and domestic departures from runway 14. Here, additional control positions in control tower are also planned.

Manpower is always a major constraint today and AAI says it has attractive financial incentives to retain trained staff. More on-the-job training at field level, advanced training and refresher training at station level, familiarisation visits to advanced system/facilities at busy centres like Australia, UK, Amsterdam, etc are measures to ensure AAI retains an adequate skilled and a motivated staff.

The writer is protem president of APAMA - India Chapter