Hyderabad: New int'l airport's ATC not fully functional

Hyderabad's new international airport does not have a fully functional Air Control Tower, also known as an ATC. CNBC-TV18?s Faye D'souza found out that part of the Air Traffic Control operations is still being done at the old Begumpet Airport.
India's tallest ATC became operational on Sunday, March 23, when the old airport in Hyderabad closed down for commercial operations to make way for the new one in Shamshabad. But the transition has not been smooth. Here's the twist - pilots trying to land at the new airport are still being navigated by officials at the old airport!
Officials say this is because the ATC's approach control radar at the new airport is not yet ready for operation. The ATC Towers at the two airports have different technology and are only 30 kms away from each other, which might explain why pilots descending to land at the new airport are having nervous moments minutes before touchdown because they may have received incorrect warnings from their flight computers about terrain. The GMR group that has constructed the Rs 2500 crore rupee airport says the ATC Tower is 100% complete and keeping the old ATC tower in function is part of standard procedures"
27/03/08 CNBC-TV18

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Categories: Airports Mar 2008