In six months, cases of near miss or near collision of aircraft may be eliminated as oceanic bifurcation of airspace will be implemented.
Speaking on ‘Oceanic Air Traffic Management’ at a session organised by the Public Relations Society of India, Pradeep Kandoth, general manager, Airports Authority of India (AAI) said, “This will ensure increased safety for passengers. At present, an air traffic controller handles about 50-55 movements at night. If this is put in place, efficiency of air traffic control and management will improve and the work load for controllers will get better.”
Chennai’s oceanic airspace sprawls over 3 lakh sq. nautical miles and through this, 340 international flights fly past, he added.
Airport director G. Chandramouli, while speaking on challenges of greenfield airports, said it usually takes about eight years to get various permissions and complete this project. “There is also a major paradigm shift in the way airports are treated; it is not enough just to provide infrastructure for airline, but passengers need a host of attractive facilities,” he said.
Across the world, non-aviation revenue is one of the biggest sources for increasing revenue, Mr. Chandramouli said.