Tag Archives: ATC

Adani Airports CEO foresees remote ATC towers

 

The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has begun trials to explore the feasibility of using remote digital towers for airspace management, according to Arun Bansal, CEO, Adani Airport Holdings Limited (AAHL). Speaking at the Capa India Aviation Summit 2024, Bansal mentioned that India’s airports will not have physical air traffic control (ATC) towers within the next 20 years.

An ATC tower is a facility that coordinates and manages the safe takeoff, landing, and ground movement of aircraft. In India, all ATC towers, except those controlled by the defence forces, are handled by the AAI. The CEO of AAHL emphasised that the AAI is a crucial stakeholder and that they share their roadmap with them. He believes that the AAI is also recognising the need for new technologies in the industry.

London City Airport became the first major international airport to be fully controlled by a remote digital tower in 2021, which is located about 115 km away from the runway. Bansal mentioned that Europe is moving away from physical ATC towers and adopting digital solutions. He foresees that in 20 years, there will be no physical ATC towers, and everything will be digital and remote. This shift will also free up land at airports.

Several airports in Sweden and Poland are working towards establishing remote digital towers, and the European Union has issued regulations to standardise and enable the deployment of digital towers. However, physical towers are not being entirely phased out yet, as many airports are expected to adopt a hybrid model that integrates new remote technology with existing tower infrastructure.

Adani Airport Holdings Limited, an Adani Group company, currently manages seven functional airports in Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Mangaluru, Jaipur, Guwahati, and Thiruvananthapuram. It is also building the Navi Mumbai airport, which is expected to start operations by mid-2025.

DGCA mandates airlines to ensure kids below 12yrs get seat with at least one parent

As per the latest amendments in the Air Transport Circular (ATC), the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has asked airlines to ensure that children under 12 years must be given seats next to at least one of the parents, in case they share the same PNR.

While sharing the details about the revised norms, the aviation regulators have released an official statement, saying, “Airlines shall ensure that children up to the age of 12 years is allocated seats with at least one of their parents/guardians, who are traveling on the same PNR and a record of the same shall be maintained.”

The move has been taken by the DCGA after witnessing the various instances wherein children below the age of 12 years were not seated along with their parent/guardian. “The existing Air Transport Circular 01 of 2021 has been suitably modified to incorporate the following provision to alleviate any such situation in the future”, the official statement added.

The DGCA has also shared the revised Air Transport Circular (ATC)-01 of 2024, which said “Unbundle of Services and fees by scheduled airlines” as per which, some services like zero baggage, preferential seating, meals/ Snack/ Drink charges, charges for carriage of musical instruments have been allowed. Such unbundled services are provided on “opt-in” basis by Airlines and are not mandatory in nature.”

In addition, the statement says, “There is also a provision for auto seat assignment to the passengers who have not selected any seat for web check-in before scheduled departure.”

Tamil Nadu’s Vellore airport to be operational soon

The Vellore airport in Tamil Nadu appears to be on the verge of becoming operational soon. On Sunday, a test flight conducted low-level passes over the airport facility to carry out calibration tests for the surrounding airspace.

This airport project in Vellore was initiated as part of the Union government’s UDAN regional connectivity scheme back in 2016. However, it has encountered several challenges along its journey, raising doubts about its viability.

Despite efforts to extend the runway to 850 meters and the completion of the terminal building a year ago, progress seemed to stall.
Officials from the Airports Authority of India (AAI) have now confirmed the completion of ground calibration tests, with the recent focus being on air calibration.

The test involved five AAI officials, with two stationed on the ground and three aboard the aircraft. One of the key objectives was to ensure the landing lights on the runway were clearly visible from the air.

To prevent any signal interference, measures were taken to clear the area of trees, water tanks, and buildings exceeding 25 feet in height. Sources expressed optimism for a swift approval to commence operations by December this year.

It’s worth noting that the airport currently lacks a permanent control tower and relies on a mobile tower. Additionally, it has fire tenders and an ambulance on standby for emergency situations.

The airport’s perimeter is fully enclosed by fencing, and the approach road from Abdullapuram has been freshly laid, indicating expectations of increased activity at the facility.

Covering an expansive 97 acres, the airport will soon feature high-resolution lighting along its perimeter to enhance security.

Basic infrastructure, such as access roads from the Chennai-Bengaluru Highway, has been developed by acquiring private land parcels. Furthermore, a passenger waiting hall has been established near the airport’s entrance.

At present, the new airport boasts an 850-meter runway, a taxiway, ground handling equipment, air traffic control (ATC) facilities, and an aviation information receiving facility.

Additionally, it features a terminal building and an oil depot. The previously limited airstrip, which could only accommodate eight-seater planes, has been upgraded to cater to 20-seater aircraft.