Ahmedabad: In a significant boost to aviation safety and weather monitoring, the city’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International (SVPI) Airport is set to receive the advanced SkyCast atmospheric sensing system under the Centre’s Mission Mausam initiative. The announcement follows the launch of India’s first SkyCast system at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI), a technological upgrade aimed at enhancing flight safety during adverse weather conditions.

The state-of-the-art SkyCast system provides continuous, high-resolution monitoring of critical atmospheric parameters, including fog, turbulence, wind speed, vertical air velocity and aerosols. The technology is expected to improve the safety and efficiency of aircraft take-offs and landings, particularly during periods of low visibility and turbulent weather.

Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Earth Sciences, Dr. Jitendra Singh, said the newly launched SkyCast system at IGI Airport is the first of its kind in India and the 19th such installation globally. He said similar systems will soon be installed at Jewar Airport, followed by airports in Varanasi, Ahmedabad and other cities.

The initiative is being implemented under Mission Mausam, launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with the objective of strengthening India’s weather forecasting and atmospheric monitoring capabilities.

Describing SkyCast as one of the biggest milestones in India’s aviation history, Singh said the system combines multiple atmospheric observation technologies for fog monitoring, turbulence detection and high-impact weather forecasting. It integrates advanced atmospheric remote-sensing technologies, including a Radar Wind Profiler, SODAR, Microwave Radiometer, Ground-based Fog Aerosol Spectrometer (GFAS) and CL61 Lidar-based Ceilometer, to provide comprehensive real-time atmospheric intelligence.

According to the minister, the facility will significantly strengthen monitoring and warning capabilities around airport runways, making aircraft take-offs and landings safer. The core of the system is an advanced boundary-layer Radar Wind Profiler that continuously measures wind speed, wind direction, turbulence, vertical velocity and boundary-layer dynamics up to nearly three kilometres above the airport. These parameters are crucial during aircraft descent and landing operations, where accurate atmospheric information can enhance safety and operational efficiency.

The SkyCast facility also features advanced fog-monitoring instruments such as the GFAS, which provides detailed information on fog droplets, aerosols and aerosol-fog interactions. Singh noted that such capabilities are particularly important in cities where pollution particles interact with fog and significantly affect visibility conditions.

In addition, the system incorporates a CL61 Lidar-based Ceilometer that continuously monitors the vertical structure of fog, helping meteorologists better understand fog formation, visibility reduction and atmospheric conditions that affect aviation operations.

The upcoming installation of the SkyCast system at Ahmedabad Airport is expected to provide a major boost to aviation safety and operational planning, benefiting airlines and passengers alike through more accurate real-time weather assessment and improved decision-making during challenging weather conditions. DeshGujarat