Radar shutdown at Chennai delays 120 flights

Chennai: About 120 flights were delayed at the Chennai airport on Sunday as the radar system was shut down for regular maintenance between 8 am to 6 pm, forcing Air Traffic Control (ATC) to switch over to an antiquated operational mode.
Traffic controllers had to guide aircraft by the ‘rulebook’ they follow in the absence of radars, as the screens went blank and flights in the 256 nautical mile area had to be sufficiently separated from each other while maintaining the required minimum heights.
Most international airports have stand-by radars for times like this. “But in Chennai, the main radar itself is obsolete,” a pilot told Express, ruling out using a stand-by radar.
“Air-traffic controllers have a tough time coordinating flights in such cases and pilots too are not familiar with the downgraded mode of procedures” the pilot said.
Sources said that at least 10 flights were in queue at any given time during the day when the radar was undergoing repairs. “They used a separation time of ten minutes between aircraft and yet another seven minutes to land. So an aircraft trying to land had to wait for at least 17 minutes, depending on its turn.
30/03/09 Mamta Todi/ExpressBuzz

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Categories: Airports Mar 2009