Mumbai airport lacks radar to track planes on runway

Mumbai: What causes frequent near-misses at Mumbai airport? Probably, it's the absence of surface movement radars which keep track of aircraft and vehicles on runway.
Aviation experts say the surface movement radars are crucial for getting real-time picture of aircraft and vehicles on runway, especially during low-visibility and night. However, only Delhi airport has installed these radars in the country.
A civil aviation ministry official said these radars are crucial for safety at the Mumbai airport, which handles more than 700 flights daily. And the equipment is "most needed now" because of the "cross runway operation" at Mumbai.
Sources told DNA that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is likely to tell the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and the Mumbai International Airport Limited (Mial) to install the equipment as soon as possible.
In a meeting held in Delhi on Wednesday, DGCA officials pointed out the absence of surface movement radars at Mumbai to the civil aviation ministry.
Sources said ideally the AAI and Mial should have worked out a plan to get the radars installed.
On Sunday, two planes came extremely close mid-air as one of the pilots had taken off without the permission of air traffic control at the Mumbai airport. In last eight months, three near-misses have occurred in Mumbai.
27/08/09 Yogesh Kumar/Daily News & Analysis

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Categories: Airports Aug 2009, Safety Aug 2009