The Hindu : National : Southern airports to get modern systems

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Tuesday, Jul 28, 2009
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Southern airports to get modern systems

V.S. Palaniappan

COIMBATORE: The Airports Authority of India (AAI) is embarking on an ambitious plan to adopt digitalised Performance Based Navigation (PBN) systems and Geo Augmented Global Satellite Navigation (GAGSN) technology at all southern airports in a phased manner.

AAI Regional Executive Director (Southern Region) D. Devaraj told The Hindu that as part of the continuous safety audit and safety conscious initiatives of the AAI, the PBN systems would be introduced in a phased manner.

“There will be less communication and less noise, and the language barrier that existed between the Air Traffic Control (ATC) and pilots can be easily overcome with the help of the digitalised and codified navigation procedures,” he said.

The proposals have been sent to the Director General of Civil Aviation and after 58 days of mandatory notification, the PBN systems were expected to come into effect by October.

First in Chennai

It would be first experimented in Chennai and extended to all 27 airports in the southern region.

On the GAGSN technology, he said once the Indian Space Research Organisation completed the requirements, it would become operational.

Expansion and modernisation of the southern airports was on in full swing.

For the expansion of the Coimbatore airport the AAI required 678 acres. Runway expansion work was on at the Madurai and Tiruchi airports and the Tuticorin airport that accommodated only ATR type aircraft was getting a higher impetus to accommodate wide-bodied aircraft, besides the expansion of the terminal building capacity.

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