Behind the Indian aviation boom lies a crumbling structure. People who fuel the industry are stretched to their limits despite the multiple safety layers. The warning beeps have been on for some time, but in the hurry to grow, they have been ignored.
The three main pillars of aviation that are directly responsible for you flying safely have been compromised. The Air Traffic Controllers are stretched and understaffed, and the pilots pushed to the brink because of an expanding industry.
Industry watchdog DGCA battles staff shortage and lack of skilled officers who truly understand aviation. It is headed by a bureaucrat who usually has only a couple of years at such a crucial position.
Let’s first focus on the Air Traffic Controllers or the ATCs, the people responsible for guiding the aircraft safely till you get to your port. Delhi alone with its glitzy Terminal 3 needs 600 officers; today they have just 360.
A senior officer at the Airports Authority disagrees. “This requirement for Delhi is after our transition to our new automation system and new building.” Those manning the radars feel otherwise. “After a long shift, we could manage a clear day off. This has now been given a go-by because of shortage of manpower and training in new IATS. Now at least 50 percent of the controllers are made to do duties on their off days. Where is the planning?”
The scary scenario is that they are sometimes made to work on more than one airspace. It’s like playing a video game with double speed, double attacks, hence, double stress. One controller should not handle more than 15 planes, but in Delhi and Mumbai they handle around 30. This is not funny.
A senior air traffic official maintains that there are enough officers in Delhi, but admits that there is a shortage in Mumbai. The statistics by the DGCA itself should have got the warning bells ringing — between 2011 and May 2016, they found that 71 of the 129 potential collisions were because of ATC glitches. Airports Authority officials admit that the increase in movements has been alarming and growth is beyond what the current infrastructure can take.
Over the next 14 years, India will need 40,000 air traffic controllers to handle flights, according to the International Civil Aviation Organisation. That’s about 3,000 officers every year. This year alone, 600 ATCs were recruited, trained and put on duty, and 400 more have been interviewed. By 2020, they plan to hire 700 more officers.
05/01/17 Nitya Thirumalai/News18
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The three main pillars of aviation that are directly responsible for you flying safely have been compromised. The Air Traffic Controllers are stretched and understaffed, and the pilots pushed to the brink because of an expanding industry.
Industry watchdog DGCA battles staff shortage and lack of skilled officers who truly understand aviation. It is headed by a bureaucrat who usually has only a couple of years at such a crucial position.
Let’s first focus on the Air Traffic Controllers or the ATCs, the people responsible for guiding the aircraft safely till you get to your port. Delhi alone with its glitzy Terminal 3 needs 600 officers; today they have just 360.
A senior officer at the Airports Authority disagrees. “This requirement for Delhi is after our transition to our new automation system and new building.” Those manning the radars feel otherwise. “After a long shift, we could manage a clear day off. This has now been given a go-by because of shortage of manpower and training in new IATS. Now at least 50 percent of the controllers are made to do duties on their off days. Where is the planning?”
The scary scenario is that they are sometimes made to work on more than one airspace. It’s like playing a video game with double speed, double attacks, hence, double stress. One controller should not handle more than 15 planes, but in Delhi and Mumbai they handle around 30. This is not funny.
A senior air traffic official maintains that there are enough officers in Delhi, but admits that there is a shortage in Mumbai. The statistics by the DGCA itself should have got the warning bells ringing — between 2011 and May 2016, they found that 71 of the 129 potential collisions were because of ATC glitches. Airports Authority officials admit that the increase in movements has been alarming and growth is beyond what the current infrastructure can take.
Over the next 14 years, India will need 40,000 air traffic controllers to handle flights, according to the International Civil Aviation Organisation. That’s about 3,000 officers every year. This year alone, 600 ATCs were recruited, trained and put on duty, and 400 more have been interviewed. By 2020, they plan to hire 700 more officers.
05/01/17 Nitya Thirumalai/News18
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