Chennai airport gear halts flying in fog

Chennai: Though it was visually impossible to estimate the Runway Visibility Range (RVR) through the thick fog that descended on Chennai on Monday, as it was before dawn, the airport’s transmissometers kicked into action in time.
By 4 am, as the visibility on the runway dropped to almost 100 metres, well below the prescribed limit set by the DGCA, the read-out from the machine that estimates visual range had ruled out air operations.
While questions have been asked about how well the technology works after it was installed over four years ago, R Suresh, Director of the Meterological Office inside the Airport complex confirmed that they were in top shape. “There are two transmissometers in operation, on runways 07 and 25, and the read-outs are accurate up to even one metre,” he said. Though it has not been sanctioned yet, once the secondary runway at the Chennai airport is completed, a similar device, also known as a hazemeter, will have to be fitted there as well.
While only Chennai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad airports are equipped with the technology in the southern sector, New Delhi, which handles much more air traffic, has nine working transmissometers. Almost a year has passed since a proposal was floated to have all second-tier airports fitted with transmissometers.
23/02/12 New Indian Express/Daniel Thimmayya/IBN Live

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Categories: airports Feb 2012