BIAs old landing system costs Rs 1.4 Crore loss

Bangalore: Despite being operational for over four years, the lack of an upgraded system at the Bangalore International Airport (BIA) is leading to losses of up to Rs 1.4 crore for airlines annually. Dubbed an international airport, BIA is still not equipped with the CAT-II landing system that all the other major airports in the country introduced years ago.
While the aviation industry in the country is already bogged down by a serious financial crisis because of rising aviation fuel prices, the latest in the list of worries for the airlines and pilots is the lack of an upgraded landing system at the BIA.
The present CAT-I Instrument Landing System (ILS) at the BIA is not equipped to provide accurate weather readings. This is the reason airlines are losing about Rs 1.4 crore annually due to diversions and turnarounds. “Each diversion amounts to Rs 1.4 lakh loss to domestic airlines and about Rs 4.2 lakh for an international flight,” SR Iyer, a former air traffic controller, informed Express.
23/02/12 Sheetal Sukhija/New Indian Express/IBN Live

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Categories: airports Feb 2012