Airports Authority of India's (AAI) initiative to bolster air traffic management system crossed another milestone with the installation of the advanced ATS Automation System at Tiruchi airport which seeks to enhance safety and efficiency.
Developed by Indra Systems of Spain, the system facilitates automatic exchange of flight information between Tiruchi and adjacent Air Traffic Control units, including Chennai and Thiruvananthapuram area control centres besides improving air traffic management through timely information on aircraft movements and integrating meteorological data and aeronautical information.
Flight data processing, situation data display, flight data display, control and monitoring display; data recording facility and database management constitute the key components of the system that ensures integrated traffic flow management between different phases of flight besides providing safety nets to enhance air safety.
ADVERTISEMENT
The system would enhance efficiency of aircraft operations through better situational awareness and provides safety alerts to air traffic controllers. Tiruchi is foremost among the Type –A airports in the country to have the advanced system.
It displays all maps, routes, reporting points, navigational aids, runways, IAL procedures for the reference of air traffic controllers in addition to providing proximity area warning, medium term conflict detection and minimum sector altitude warning and automatic transmission of ATS messages.
Calling it a great day for Tiruchi airport at the inauguration of the system on Sunday, V. Somasundaram, Member, Air Navigation Services, AAI, New Delhi, said plans were afoot to introduce the Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast at the Tiruchi airport soon.
ADVERTISEMENT
The AAI had drawn up a master plan under which new equipment and new systems were being introduced across the country to enhance safety and improve operations.
Inaugurating the system, Collector Jayashree Muralidharan said 510 acres of land would be acquired for Tiruchi airport expansion. Acquisition was not an easy affair as many areas were wetlands that involved lot of procedures. A committee comprising officials from agriculture, horticulture and survey departments besides those from the Airports Authority of India had been constituted to study the airport expansion plan without acquiring wetlands; the Collector said adding that a proposal in this regard would be forwarded to the government in two to three weeks.
The Regional Executive Director, AAI, Southern Region D. Devaraj said a master plan had been drafted to develop Tiruchi airport further to receive wide-bodied aircrafts.
The General Manager (ATM) Air Space Management, AAI, New Delhi Sylvester Israel, P.K. Jha, General Manager – CNS, Southern Region, Chennai, Tiruchi Airport Director S. Dharmaraj and Deputy General Manager – Air Traffic Services, Tiruchi K. Jebaraj spoke on the occasion.