Infrastructure is pathetic: Pilots

Mumbai: When a thorough professional with 40 years of flying different aircraft under his belt says it requires a lot of luck, prayers and a good horoscope to fly over congested Mumbai skies, it should be taken seriously. Captain Ranganathan knows near misses closely, having been directly involved in two.
The increase in the air traffic has resulted in extra pressure on infrastructure and the ATCs. “There is a shortage of manpower in the ATC where one person has to handle many operations,” says Lt Col VK Nagar, chief operating officer, Ahmedabad Aviation and Aeronautics Academy. Ranganathan says airlines and authorities are equally to be blamed for allowing expansion without any plan for a synchronous growth of airport infrastructure.
“There are no pilots available. Our procedures are outdated and infrastructure is pathetic,” he adds.
“We are taking far too many short-cuts. At the speed and altitude that we fly nowadays (560 miles per hour at 30-40,000 feet) under conditions of severe air congestion, it is not just enough for a pilot to earn an CPL (commercial pilot licence),” says a senior pilot with an international airline.
Another senior pilot feels the disparity between aircraft and infrastructure is a ticking timebomb.
13/12/07 Salil Deshpande, Ameya Bhise & Lakshmy Ramanathan/Daily News & Analysis

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Categories: General Aviation Dec 2007, Safety Dec 2007