Wanted, radar to fight fog

Regular morning mist has started the countdown to fog fright, but the airport authorities are still not equipped to prevent flight delay because of low visibility this winter.
A radar that could cut down fog delay in Calcutta was sanctioned months ago by the Airports Authority of India (AAI), but it will not be installed this winter. The tender to select a company to set up a surface movement radar (SMR), which guides aircraft on the runway, has been floated but the bidders have not been shortlisted.
The radar makes movement of aircraft on the ground efficient and safe by relaying their real-time picture to the Air Traffic Control (ATC). Delhi airport has the facility.
Absence of the SMR negates the gains of Category (CAT) II Instrumental Landing System, recently installed at Calcutta airport.
The system enables an aircraft to land even if the visibility is 350 metres. The plane cannot, however, be guided from the runway to the parking bay without the radar.
Thus, the runway cannot be used by any other aircraft. When visibility is low, the SMR is also needed to guide planes from the parking bay to the runway for take-off.
At Calcutta airport, visibility often drops below 350 metres, making it impossible for flights to take off, even by using CAT II facilities.
03/12/07 Sanjay Mandal/The Telegraph

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Categories: Airports Dec 2007, Safety Dec 2007