Power snag blinds airport radar

Calcutta: Calcutta airport operated without a radar for more than an hour on Wednesday morning, following a power cut. As a result, 20 flights took off 10 to 15 minutes late.
The power failure, between 9.11am and 9.25am, shut down four radar, digital clocks and the flight data processing system. The gadgets were functional again after 10.25am.
An Airports Authority of India official said the supply on both essential and non-essential power lines was cut off in the morning. Usually, one of the lines remains operational. The power backup in the form of batteries allows the radar system to work only for five minutes.
The air traffic control (ATC) had to do without a radar for an hour and 10 minutes. Flight operations continued but there were delays in the peak period.
The airport has one terminal approach radar and three route radar. The terminal approach radar has a primary and a secondary system, which monitor the take-off and touchdown of aircraft, while the three route radar oversee flight approach and departure routes.
03/01/08 The Telegraph

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Categories: Airports Jan 2008, Safety Jan 2008