Fancy airport, outdated landing equipment

Fancy airport, outdated landing equipment

The CAT-I instrument would help aircraft to land with a runway visibility distance between 1,000 to 1,200 metres

Debi Prasad and Saurabh Yadav
Posted On Sunday, November 09, 2008
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What kind of an international airport is this if it cannot handle foggy weather?

This was the million-dollar question that nagged hundreds of passengers who were stranded at the Bengaluru International Airport (BIA) on Saturday morning when flights did not take off due to low visibility caused by fog. And the answer was simple: BIA is not equipped with sophisticated landing systems. In other words, BIA does not have the CAT-III (Category III) instrument landing system and continues with the earlier CAT-I system which was used at the HAL airport.

The CAT-I instrument would help aircraft to land with a runway visibility distance between 1,000 to 1,200 metres. However, with a thick fog enveloping the airport during the early morning hours in winter, the CAT-I instrument is of little help for pilots to land their aircraft. Because of the CAT-I system, the earlier HAL airport too faced problems pertaining to aircraft landing during winter. While the BIA is still functioning with such outdated equipment, other international airports across the country are equipped with advanced scientific instruments. The Delhi airport is equipped with the CAT III-B system which helps any aircraft to land even when the visibility drops to 50 metres.

The officials at BIA defend the system, saying, “The CAT-I is adopted owing to the requirements that suit Bangalore.” But aviation experts take a different stand altogether. “Bangalore has witnessed a gradual change in its weather pattern over the years. Adding to it, there is also a huge increase in air traffic and we require the CAT-III Instrument Landing System,” opined an expert from HAL.

WHAT’S CAT?

CAT-I and III are types of landing instruments. These are ground-based instruments which provide precision guidance to aircraft for safe landing using radio signals and high-intensity lights during extreme meteorological conditions like fog, rain or blowing snow.