Hi-tech system to cut flight delays

Mumbai: Flight delays in India may soon be a thing of the past. In a bid to ensure smooth flights at a time when air traffic is rising, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has speeded up the process of setting up an Air Traffic Flow Management (ATFM) system, which will monitor the data system of all airlines and also collate information provided by the Air Traffic Control (ATC) system from various airports. A US-based company, which also provides services to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), will be asked to instal the system in India and it will be set up at crucial airports, officials said.
"The decision is almost made. It only needs to be put to paper and announced to the authorities concerned," an official said. "Once that is done, the work on ATFM can begin. However, it is likely to take a couple of years." He said though the original deadline to complete ATFM installation was 2010, but the proceedings might take longer.
Officials said, once the system is in place, it will help cut down on flight delays and the air-traffic flow will also get organised. "The system can provide gate-to-gate information on flights and will update their status regularly," an official said. This means that a flight, which is already late, can check the system, see what its waitlist number will be at the destination airport and start accordingly.
29/06/10 Chinmayi Shalya/Times of India

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Categories: Airports Jun 2010, Indian Aviation- In General Jun 2010, New Jun 2010