Kolkata airport begins trials at new air traffic control tower
Times of India | 25 March 2025
12 Kolkata: Controllers took charge of the new air traffic control (ATC) tower on Monday afternoon and guided arriving and departing flights for two hours at Kolkata airport. The first flight operation managed by controllers from the new facility was an IndiGo aircraft arriving from Bengaluru.
Around 40 flights touched down and took off between 2 pm and 4 pm when live trials were carried out at the new facility. However, the pilot had no clue that the communication was from the new ATC. The trials will continue for two hours from Monday to Friday over the next three months.
On Monday, eight controllers were present in the new facility along with technicians from the communication, navigation, and surveillance (CNS) department. While the controllers at the new ATC radioed pilots and guided planes into and out of Kolkata airport, a second set of controllers remained on standby at the existing ATC, ready to take over should a problem arise. But there was no such requirement on Monday.
The successful operation on Monday marks the first step of the operationalisation and commissioning of the new ATC and technical blocks. The trials will continue for the next three months before the duration of the operation is increased.
However, it will take at least 18-24 months for full-fledged operations to commence from the facility as the modern system and equipment that is to be installed there is yet to be selected. These include the new generation automation system, approach radar, and advanced surface movement guidance and control system as well as VHF communication equipment. Only after the tenders are floated will the equipment be procured, installed, and finally operationalised.
Till then, a modified version of the existing system that was procured in 2012 and installed in 2013 will be used by controllers at the new ATC.