Monday, December 15, 2003 (New Delhi):
Delhi airport upgraded its Instrument Landing System (ILS) at a cost of Rs 40 crore to avoid flight delays due to fog. The system installed is an advanced version of the ILS, called CAT III.
It consists of special lights embedded in the runway that can be read by special equipment inside the cockpit.
The pilot also needs to be able to decipher these signals to land or take-off safely, even when visibility is as low as 200 metres.
Little use
But pilots say the money spent will only improve visibility marginally. They say Delhi's peculiar weather conditions make CAT III virtually ineffective.
"It won't make much of a difference since the weather phenomenon in Delhi is such that visibility is either zero or 700 metres. There will be a marginal difference because of CAT-III," said Capt M S Chaddha, secretary, Indian Comm Pilots Association.
Other airports lag
Most private airlines haven't trained the pilots on CAT III yet, since the system isn't installed in other airports that face similar problems.
"We are not yet ready. CAT III is there only in Delhi but Kolkata, Bangalore and Chennai also face the problem of fog,'' said U K Bose, CEO, Air Sahara.
Pilots there have to use their experience and older landing methods to negotiate foggy conditions.
As a result, when it gets foggy this winter, flights will continue to be delayed. But airlines claim they'll make sure passengers are informed in time, either on the phone or through regular updates on TV and FM radio.
