Tall air tower denied

Calcutta: A new and taller air traffic control (ATC) tower earmarked for Calcutta airport’s modernisation project has been dropped because of a cash crunch.
“The Rs 150 crore ATC tower has been deferred. This is not considered a priority,” a senior Airports Authority of India (AAI) official told Metro from Delhi.
The existing ATC tower, beside the international terminal building, is 112 feet and the proposed one would have been taller, providing a better view of the airfield.
“Along with the new integrated terminal, new parking bays will be added and most of those will be on the remote side. Clear viewing of the flight movement will be a problem then,” said an airport official.
The estimated cost of the Calcutta project has risen from an initial Rs 1,942 crore to Rs 2,525 crore. This has been approved by the AAI board, but minus the ATC tower.
There is some good news for Calcutta airport, though, with the authorities finally deciding to replace the old radar equipment. The three radar at Calcutta covering the east, west and north and also the approach radar were more than 12 years old and needed to be replaced long.
21/06/10 Sanjay Mandal/The Telegraph

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Categories: Airports Jun 2010