Sunday, December 16, 2012

AAI officials fudged ‘near-miss’ data


Mumbai: Civil aviation minister Ajit Singh recently announced that 65 'airprox' incidents — situations where two or more moving aircraft come in proximity of each other -- took place over Indian skies in the past three years. But airprox statistics from Mumbai airport alone are enough to show that the minister's statement has no proximity to truth.
Data collected from air traffic records shows that in 2011 itself, 54 airprox incidents took place at Mumbai airport, involving aircraft that were landing.
Because of error on part of the air traffic controller or the pilots, these aircraft came in proximity with other aircraft and so had to abort the descent and do a climb (go-around, in aviation parlance) to return for a second attempt at landing. In India, air traffic management is handled by the Airports Authority of India (AAI), a public sector undertaking.
16/12/12 Times of India
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