Software crash grounds IGI for 2 hrs

New Delhi: After dense fog and low-visibility conditions threw air traffic out of gear at the IGI Airport, a failure of the computerised data-processing systems with the Air Traffic Controller (ATC) led to a massive disruption for almost two hours on Thursday evening.
While authorities are still investigating the reason behind the failure, official sources said the system, Auto Track-II, crashed at 5.44 pm. It was rectified at 7.30 pm.
V Somasundaram, executive director (air traffic management), Airports Authority of India, told Newsline: “The computer system that provides all aircraft-related data to the Delhi ATC failed at 5.44 pm on Thursday. The system was rebooted and put in place by 7.30 pm. But the controller used other channels of communication with pilots and aircraft in this period.
“There was no problem with the radar system.”
Sources said a shadow stand-by system, Auto Track-III, was put in place in the interim period.
Twenty-seven flights were able to land and only six could take off during these two hours. On an average, about 80 flight movements (landing and take-off) take place in a two-hour period, officials said.
Delhi ATC officials said flight-handling capacity of the ATC was severely affected during this period. But the voice communication system with the aircraft was intact during the disruption, sources added.
Explaining the disruption, another senior ATC official said the computers had failed to display aircraft movement in the air. For runway-29, this is the only system which assists in landings and take-offs, as the new runway is not visible from the ATC tower.
15/01/10 Geeta Gupta/Indian Express

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Categories: Airports Jan 2010, Safety Jan 2010