Flights from Singapore to Tiruchi and Kuala Lumpur to Tiruchi have begun using the new ATS (Air Traffic Services) route with effect from July 26. This has cut down flying time and enabled airline operators to save aviation turbine fuel.
With international operator Tiger Airways proposing to operate additional services to Tiruchi from Singapore, the number of flights taking the new route ‘V 30’ will soon increase to 23 per week.
The ‘V 30’ route introduced by the Air Traffic Management Directorate of Airports Authority of India (AAI) has facilitated the Singapore-Tiruchi and Kuala Lumpur-Tiruchi aircrafts to make a “straight in” approach for Instrument Landing System at Tiruchi airport runway 27, instead of making an ‘arc’ approach.
A senior AAI official here told The Hindu that Air Asia, Tiger Airways, and Air India that were operating flights in the Singapore-Tiruchi-Singapore and Kuala Lumpur-Tiruchi-Kuala Lumpur sectors were gaining operational advantage by saving fuel and time by using the new route.
The new ATS route has cut down flying time by 17 minutes from Singapore to Tiruchi, and from Kuala Lumpur to Tiruchi and reduced the distance by 44 nautical miles. Fuel saved per flight was about 1,800 kilograms, the official said. Currently, 21 services were being operated to Tiruchi from Singapore and Kuala Lumpur per week.
The official said Tiger Airways has proposed to operate two additional flights to Tiruchi from Singapore from August, which would increase the number of services operated by airline to nine per week.
The official said a proposal has been forwarded to the AAI headquarters at New Delhi to connect the ‘V 30’ route with Coimbatore and Calicut so as to join the ‘Mike 300’ route for Dubai.
This would facilitate Dubai-bound aircraft from Tiruchi to join the ‘Mike 300’ route for Dubai.
It would not only reduce flying time but also save fuel and reduce carbon emissions in the atmosphere, the official added.
