10-day revamp plan for Calcutta runway tools

Calcutta airport’s instrument landing system (ILS) will not be functional for around 10 days from October 17 as the old equipment will be replaced. This could cause flights to be delayed or diverted in the event of bad weather.
The decision was taken at a meeting between the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and airlines on Friday afternoon.The replacement may lead to disruption in flight services at the airport if visibility drops below 1,300 metres.
The secondary runway does not have ILS yet and under such circumstances, flight operations would have to be closed. Aircraft will have to hover or, if the bad weather persists, may have to be diverted, airport sources said.
“The ILS operation will be closed from October 17. The old equipment has become obsolete and will be replaced with state-of-the art equipment imported from the US,” said P. K. Singhal, the regional executive director (eastern region) of the AAI. He said the project cost is Rs 1 crore.
“This may cause inconvenience to passengers but we have to instal the new equipment to ensure smooth operations during winter. According to the weather forecast, there is less possibility of poor visibility around this time,” he pointed out.
04/10/08 The Telegraph

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Categories: Airports Oct 2008