Airport radar ready,awaits nod from DGCA to begin operations

The Surface Movement Radar for the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport,that can track any movement within the operational area of the Mumbai airport.

The Surface Movement Radar for the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA),that can track any movement within the operational area of the Mumbai airport,could begin operations as early as Friday if the approval from the DGCA comes through. After Delhi,Mumbai will be the second airport in the country to have this radar.

Earlier this week on Monday,AAI chairman V K Agarwal told the Civil Aviation Ministry that the radar would be ready by December 16. The installation for the first phase is over,but the starting of operations is subject to DGCA clearance. AAI is ready to begin once they get the approval,which may happen tomorrow, said Alok Sinha,joint secretary,civil aviation ministry.

Airport Authority of India officials confirmed that the installation work is over. We have completed the installation for the first phase. The safety assessment report has been sent to the AAI headquarters. The DGCA approval has been sought, said a senior AAI official. Incidentally,AAI chairman is due to visit Mumbai on Friday for official work.

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The radar,a key safety device,which ATC officers have been demanding since 2008,has missed several installation deadlines over the last year. It is critical for the Mumbai airport,where ground movements have trebled over the last three years because of increase in air traffic. The radar gives the Air traffic Control officers an electronic map of the airport operational area,which becomes crucial at night and times of low visibility.

On May 26,following an accidental incursion of an Indigo aircraft into the main runway when a Jet flight was on approach path,the then DGCA chief Nasim Zaidi asked the AAI to expedite the installation of the SMR.

Although AAI had set itself a deadline for end of October,the installation work ran into several road blocks. ATC officials who will operate the radar said that training of officials to operate the SMR has been in process for over a month.

Further,it is only the first phase of the airport surface movement guidance system that is nearing completion.

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The second phase of the system ¿ manufactured by the Holland Institute of Transport Technology is expected to be completed only by February end.

What is SMR

Surface Movement Radar (SMR) is used to detect aircraft and vehicles on the surface of an airport. It is used by air traffic controllers to supplement visual observations. It may also be used at night time and during low visibility to monitor the movement of aircraft and vehicles

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