Chennai: The city’s airport may not be ready to implement Airports Authority of India (AAI) and DGCA’s plan to have flights with ‘dispatch with no destination alternate’, aimed at saving fuel and emissions.
Pilots file one or two nearby airports as alternative destinations to divert flights if there is a congestion at the destination airport. They also carry additional fuel needed for diversions. This is considered to be polluting and expensive, as planes burn fuel to carry more fuel. The new scheme is being tried out as part of a ‘green’ initiative to prevent this loss at Hyderabad airport and is expected to be extended to other major airports as well.
However, pilots and air traffic controllers are wary that they would not be able to divert flights if there is congestion at Chennai airport. The same problem exists at Hyderabad during peak hours.
DGCA and AAI are trying out the ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organisation) driven initiative during nonpeak hours at Hyderabad airport. IndiGo and Air India are part of the trial.
A pilot said airports need to be prepared in terms of providing good runways and rapid exit taxiways, slots for flights should be given in a spaced manner before implementing it. “Chennai has a single runway and there is congestion round the clock. The second runway is short and cannot be used for all flights. This creates congestion on air. We fly along a circuitous route for at least 20 minutes before getting landing clearance. There should be a parallel runway so that one runway can be used for landings and the other can be used for take offs. Flights are also slotted back to back and sometimes there are multiple departures at the same time,” he added.
19/05/19 Times of India
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Pilots file one or two nearby airports as alternative destinations to divert flights if there is a congestion at the destination airport. They also carry additional fuel needed for diversions. This is considered to be polluting and expensive, as planes burn fuel to carry more fuel. The new scheme is being tried out as part of a ‘green’ initiative to prevent this loss at Hyderabad airport and is expected to be extended to other major airports as well.
However, pilots and air traffic controllers are wary that they would not be able to divert flights if there is congestion at Chennai airport. The same problem exists at Hyderabad during peak hours.
DGCA and AAI are trying out the ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organisation) driven initiative during nonpeak hours at Hyderabad airport. IndiGo and Air India are part of the trial.
A pilot said airports need to be prepared in terms of providing good runways and rapid exit taxiways, slots for flights should be given in a spaced manner before implementing it. “Chennai has a single runway and there is congestion round the clock. The second runway is short and cannot be used for all flights. This creates congestion on air. We fly along a circuitous route for at least 20 minutes before getting landing clearance. There should be a parallel runway so that one runway can be used for landings and the other can be used for take offs. Flights are also slotted back to back and sometimes there are multiple departures at the same time,” he added.
19/05/19 Times of India
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