TRAFFIC IS IN THE AIR

MUMBAI : The congestion at the city airport was handled better on Day 5 of the maintenance and upgrade of the instrument landing system (ILS), with the average delay time of 500 flights to and from the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA) coming down to 30 minutes.

On Sunday, incoming flights were delayed by 30 minutes, while departing by 50 minutes. A senior airport official said on Monday all departing flights took off on time for a short duration in the afternoon, and arrivals were delayed by 12 minutes.

According to flightradar24, a Swedish internet-based service that gives real-time aircraft flight information on a map, the average delay in departing flights was 45 minutes and arrival delay was around 14 minutes around early evening.

“Increased supervision, innovative ideas and utilisation of air traffic flow management (ATFM) system to regulate arriving flights and airport collaborative decision making (ACDM) system to regulate departures led to reduced delays in flight operations,” said a senior AAI official.

ILS maintenance work started on May 17 and will go on till June 5.

According to travel portals, the most affected routes were Delhi, Bangalore and Hyderabad.

According to airport authorities, a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) was issued to airlines as well as pilots in advance, implying they should have conveyed it to fliers. Sudhakar Reddy, president, Air Passengers Association of India (APAI), said, “Although the maintenance is crucial for safety of passengers, it is highly condemnable if passengers were not informed about the planned maintenance work in advance. As summer is the time when almost all flights are packed, opting for clubbing of passengers gets difficult owing to the load.”

Senior airport officials said apart from the ILS upgrade, several other factors added to the delay. “Regular maintenance work of the main runway, gusty winds and increased number of VIPS and non-scheduled flights led to unexpected delays,” said an official. While some fliers claimed they were prepared as the airlines gave updates on social media, others faced hassles.

Upgrade of the instrument landing system is leading to flight delays

WHAT IS ILS?

Instrument Landing System is a standard International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) precision landing aid that is used to provide guidance to aircraft to land on the runway under normal or adverse weather conditions

ILS is a highly accurate and dependable way of navigating to the runway in instrument flight rules (IFR) conditions

ILS provides lateral and vertical guidance necessary to fly When all components of the ILS are available, including the approved approach procedure, it enables pilots to land even if they are unable to have visual contact with the runway. “I was travelling to Delhi on May 17 and was forced to sit in the aircraft for an hour. I was travelling by a 10pm flight and to reach around midnight, but I reached only around 3am. Authorities should plan such work in advance,” said Ajay Awtaney, a banker.

THE HASSLES

May 17: ILS upgrade began on

May 17, leading to an average delay of around 45 minutes

May 18: At least 70% of the several hundred flights that fly in and out of the Mumbai airport every day were delayed on Friday May 19: More than 600 flights – 297 departing and 204 arriving flights – were delayed on

Saturday. Duststorm in Delhi added to the delay

May 20: Around 500 flights, including 345 departing flights, were delayed by 50 minutes and 145 arriving flights were delayed by 30 minutes. Gusty winds and regular pre-monsoon maintenance work at the main runway added to the hassles “Several flights have been delayed over the past few days. By Monday evening, we saw about 8% of inbound flights and 14% outbound Mumbai flights being delayed. About 23% of travellers that fly in or out of Mumbai have been affected. The most impacted air travel sectors are Delhi, Bengaluru and Hyderabad. We have also noticed a spike in fares, even for non-peak travel hours. While fares for flights to Mumbai have increased by about 10%, fares for flights from Mumbai have increased by about 19%.”

ALOKE BAJPAI,

CEO & Co-founder, ixigo

"We regret the inconvenience caused. The ILS is being upgraded.”

SENIOR AIRPORT OFFICIAL