Flying early? Wait till Monday

Mumbai: If one wants to catch an early morning flight from Mumbai without getting delayed, Mondays could well be the best bet.
With pollution levels rising in the city, visibility in the sky during the morning hours has become a major challenge for the air traffic control (ATC). At a conference on World Environment Day, ATC officials said they get the best visibility on Mondays.
"Due to less weekend traffic, Mondays are clearer than the other weekdays,’’ said M G Junghare, general manager, ATC. "On the rest of the days, the sky is not that clear."
The location of the Mumbai airport too makes it vulnerable to smog. It is not only situated well within the precincts of the city, but is also flanked by the industrial area near Kurla. "Having industries around is likely to worsen the situation,’’ said Junghare. "On days when the visibility is poor, we have to stop cross-runway operations.’’
Talking about the environmental challenges facing the aviation industry, Mumbai airport officials discussed issues such as fuel conservation and noise-level reduction as some of the most pertinent problems confronting them.
07/06/08 Times of India

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Categories: Airports Jun 2008