Attacks on U.S. increase air traffic over Chennai

By T.S. Shankar

CHENNAI, SEPT. 27. The density of air traffic, from east to west, handled everyday by the Chennai Flight Information Region (FIR) has more than doubled.

The wide-bodied jetliners were earlier flying on ``UM- 501 air route'' from the Bangkok FIR via Port Blair, Yangoon, Kolkata, Bhubaneswar, Bhopal, Ahmedabad, and entering the Pakistan FIR via Karachi and then Kabul (Afghanistan FIR) to reach western destinations.

Now, after the terrorist attacks on the U.S., west- bound long- haul flights from Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok are using the Chennai FIR in the ``two designated Bravo-579 and Bravo-466 air routes''.

These two routes, which directly fall under the Chennai FIR, have been sought by global airline operators. On an average, on the Bravo-466 route, the number of aircraft flying east to west has gone up by 40 a day and on the same route from west to east, the movement has increased by 60.

``The role of air traffic controllers working at the Chennai airport has become so important and stressful as they continuously monitor the FIR for the overflying aircraft,'' says a seasoned air traffic controller.

The Afghan air space has been closed on September 19. This decision has been conveyed by the International Air Transportation Association (IATA) authorities to the Chennai airport through a global notification. ``Soon after the recent terrorist attacks on the U.S., the volume of traffic on the designated two air routes has risen to nearly 100 a day and with the closure of the Afghan air space, there is no doubt that the density is going to further increase,'' said another air traffic controller at the airport. The daily peak hour criss-crossing air traffic over the Chennai FIR falls between noon and 1-30 p.m. and from 8 p.m. to 3 a.m. the next day.

Members of the Air Traffic Controllers' Guild (India), Southern Region, while welcoming the decision to move to the new Air Traffic Control Tower-cum-Technical Block, have conveyed to the NAD-AAI that ``in spite of giving their opinion before courts, the published procedures recommending holding of aircraft in air as an established pattern has not been cancelled. We take it as confirmed that holding of aircraft in air when the traffic situation warrants is safe and correct as per the established procedure''.

Top officials of the NAD-AAI, who are responsible for passenger safety, refused to comment saying the matter was ``sub judice''.

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