Kol airport launching parallel ATC facility for arriving, departing flights
Times of India | 6 May 2024
Kolkata: A parallel air traffic control (ATC) facility is being set up at Kolkata airport to control arriving and departing flights to make the recently completed new and taller tower operational by Oct.
Though the rest of the new Air Traffic Navigation (ATN) complex, including area control in the new technical blocks, will be operational only around 2025-end, the AAI has started work to operationalise the ATC tower this year to show utilisation of the newly constructed facility.
Speaking to TOI, officials at Kolkata airport said installation of electrical lines and optic fibre cables in the tower has already been completed. Civil work was completed in Feb.
“We are installing automation equipment that integrates approach radar and advanced surface movement guidance and control system as well as VHF communication equipment in the new tower. The existing systems will get augmented with new features in the new tower. Some equipment will take some time to arrive. We expect the installation to be completed by Oct for trials to begin,” an official said.
The decision to start operations at the tower before the rest is of the facility aimed at deflecting criticism over any delay in operationalising the ATN complex.
“The automation system currently in use was installed in 2013. The latest systems have new features. The existing VHF antenna has one output while the new one will have three,” an aviation communications expert said.