Air traffic congestion at metro airports to be addressed soon

Flying time between metros is set to be reduced, with the Airports Authority of India (AAI) coming up with a mechanism to control air traffic congestion at airports by September this year. The system, to be initially implemented at the Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Kolkata airports, is aimed at reducing the holding time of planes over airports.

Unable to land due to congestion, flights are often forced to hover above airports, leading to delay for passengers. The new system will integrate data from airlines, airports and air-traffic agencies and inform airlines about the time planes will be parked at the destination airport well before departure.

"As air traffic in India grows, so will the pressure on air navigation services (ANS) to push more aircraft into the system without compromising on safety. Changes are required in the overall air-flow planning and management, airport infrastructure, en-route navigational aids and manpower training," said Amber Dubey, partner and India head of aerospace and defence at global consultancy KPMG.

"But for all that to happen, the operational, financial and administrative independence of ANS is paramount. The long-pending hive-off of ANS from AAI should be implemented by the aviation ministry on priority," Dubey said.

To save fuel costs as part of the air traffic flow management, steps such as near straight-line flying between airports, performance-based navigation and continuous descent approach, instead of step descent, reduce flight duration and, consequently, costly jet fuel for airlines. "The use of satellite-based navigation system GAGAN will also bring radical changes in ANS efficiency; it should be expedited," said Dubey.

Currently, the air traffic controllers ask aircraft to 'hold' during landing, affecting the on-time performance of airlines. "Once the system is implemented, aircraft won't be asked to hold during landing at major airports. The first phase will be implemented in the six metros," said a senior air traffic controller.

He added the move would help airlines save fuel costs, as the system would guide them accurately.

The holding time depended on various factors, including weather and availability of infrastructure, said D K Behera, president of the Air Traffic Controllers' Guild of India.

An expert said the cost of fuel spent when an A320 aircraft was kept on hold for 30 minutes was about Rs 90,000.

With air traffic congestion addressed, the practice would be in line with those followed in the US and Europe, said an aviation ministry official.

AAI has purchased Rs 107 crore worth of instruments from Brazilian systems manufacturer Atech to provide 'air traffic flow management'. The system will integrate weather information with airlines' flight plan data, airports and air navigation service providers in a unified database. Airlines would be able to accurately inform passengers about the expected time of arrival, said an AAI official.

The airport in Delhi handles an average of 900 flight movements a day. According to AAI, aircraft movements (arrival and departure) will increase 4.2-7.6 per cent till 2023.

In 2013-14, the six metro airports accounted for 67 per cent of the total passenger share in the country.