AAI to place new mechanism to de-congest air traffic

New Delhi

Airports Authority of India is in a process of putting in place a mechanism to control air traffic congestion at domestic airports, Rajya Sabha was informed today.

The new system is expected to be in place by March next year, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Mahesh Sharma said in reply to a question.

“Airports Authority of India has initiated a process with scheduled commencement in March 2016 for installation of Central Air Traffic Flow Management (C-AFTM) in India,” Sharma said.

He said that the supply, installation, testing and commissioning of the first phase of the project has been awarded with a total estimated cost of Rs 107 crore.

The new mechanism is aimed at balancing the demand and capacity at airports and airspace, the minister said, adding “there is no implication on navigational facilities at Indian airports.”

Replying to another question, the minister said that the GPS-Aided Geo Augmented Navigation (GAGAN) system has been jointly developed by AAI and Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

“The C-AFTM and GAGAN are used for different functions.

Hence, the purchase of instruments from the same vendour is not warranted.” PTI