Airport to get new traffic control system this month

V Ayyappan | TNN 

Oct 7:

Chennai: Flying into Chennai airport could soon be free of hassles, and cheaper for the airlines as well, as the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has decided to introduce the Performance Based Navigation (PBN) procedure for air traffic control from October 22. 

    The upgraded system, already in place in Delhi, Mumbai and Ahmedabad, is being introduced here as a step prior to the proposed air traffic control automation planned when the airport gets new radars by the end of next year. 

    Lack of sophisticated navigational procedure, poorly designed taxiways and a high requirement of fuel for aircraft due to congestion make Chennai a high-cost airport. All this is likely to change in the coming days. 

    Under the PBN procedure, pilots would be provided predetermined arrival routes into the airport. The feeder routes will be taken by the aircraft while descending from the cruising heights for landing. The modern procedure helps pilots approach an airport for landing without the aid of air traffic controllers and also learn about air traffic density around an airport. 

    Other than the PBN, Chennai airport will be upgraded from the existing RNAV-10 system to a more sophisticated RNAV-1 system, which reduces space between aircraft while approaching the runway for landing. This helps better use of airspace, eliminates air traffic congestion, and allows airlines to reduce fuel consumption and flight delays. 

    Sources said that the PBN procedure would be an improvement over the existing air traffic control system. The AAI has specified new routes in terms of latitudes and longitudes and has published standard arrival routes for airlines. The information will be made available to airlines in aviation documents and as electronic data. “Currently, aircraft flying into Chennai airport are guided by air traffic controllers while making a landing approach. This requires an airliner to burn more fuel because air traffic controllers often manoeuvre an approaching aircraft away from its path, to manage congestion,” said the pilot of a private airline. 

    Most modern aircraft currently used are capable of handling the PBN system. Jet Airways made its entire fleet compatible with PBN last year. Air India, too, has aircraft that are compatible. Airlines have already been given time to convert non-compatible aircraft, with AAI publishing its intention to switch over to the new procedure about 40 days ago. 

    AAI had been gearing itself up to introduce the new system for over a year; the system was slated to have been unveiled in August/September. Air traffic controllers are now being trained to handle the new system. The move is also aimed at eliminating disparity in technology between airports and airlines. 

PERFORMANCE BASED NAVIGATION 

    The Performance Based Navigation (PBN) procedure 

allows aircraft to descend from the cruising flight route onto a path to land at an airport without waiting for the air traffic controller’s instructions 

    Pre-determined feeder routes 

connecting the air routes to the airport will be provided to airlines and pilots. These will be published in aviation documents, charts and will also be available in the form of electronic data 

    The airport will 

upgrade from RNAV-10 to sophisticated RNAV-1 for PBN 

    The new system is 

being followed the world over. It helps reduce the workload of air traffic controllers since they do not have to guide the aircraft along the landing path to the airport.