AAI-air force pilot plan for traffic management

New Delhi: In what could be the first concrete step towards joint management of the country’s airspace by civilian and defence authorities, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and the Indian Air Force (IAF) have agreed to launch a pilot project to see if they can manage air traffic together.
The two authorities will, within a month, start jointly controlling all aircraft flying over the southern peninsula by bringing their air traffic controllers together under one roof. The move comes after several rounds of discussions over many years between the civil aviation and defence ministries and could result in opening up of more of currently restricted airspace, leading to more civilian flights.
Currently, 35% Indian airspace is reserved for the defence forces and designated under three heads—prohibited, restricted and dangerous.
The civil aviation sector, which is growing at 40% annually, has pressed for opening up of more such restricted areas.
If more restricted space is opened up, it could result in commercial airlines shortening their routes, which translates into fuel saving and a higher turnaround of planes. The reduced time could also allow airlines to have more flights.
“We have finally been able to unveil a plan of flexi-use of airspace,” confirmed a senior civil aviation ministry official familiar with the process, who did not want to be named. According to the plan, AAI and IAF air traffic controllers will co-locate in the same premises, sharing information, for starters, on the Chennai flight information region (FIR), which includes most of the southern states and the oceanic airspace around it.
22/08/07 Tarun Shukla/Livemint

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Categories: Airports Aug 2007, New Aug 2007, Safety Aug 2007