The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has tied up with IT solutions provider Honeywell to prepare a unique software to help pilots and air traffic control (ATC) officers overcome communication problems because of varying local and foreign accents.
Comprehending instructions clearly can often be a problem in a country like India which has 112 major languages. In addition, there are several foreign pilots working for many domestic carriers apart from those from 86 international airlines operating to India as well as many more that overfly the country.
“The software will process and transcribe communication between a pilot and an ATC officer and display it on a screen before them,” said a senior AAI official on the condition of anonymity. “This will help avoid human error due to a problem in deciphering an unfamiliar accent,” said the official.
The AAI plans to present this concept at the Air Navigation Conference to be organised by UN aviation safety watchdog ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organisation) in Montreal, Canada, later this year.
The technology is expected to take two and a half years to develop.
The official added that as of now, such a tool didn’t exist for avionics, and the software being developed could be first such attempt anywhere in the world.
While there are several voice recognition applications in use now, what will set this particular software apart is that it will be critical in ensuring the safety of an aircraft and will be able to decode aviation jargon.
Operational efficiency
Apart from ensuring safety, the software could also help realise operational efficiency at the country's busy airports.
“The normal drill is that an ATC officer gives directions to a pilot to land or to take off and the pilot has to repeat those commands for cross verification. Once we have this software, pilots may not have to repeat the instructions given to them, which will help save time as well as enhance the aircraft handling capacity of an airport,” said the official.
Published - June 23, 2018 08:01 pm IST
