PORT BLAIR, Feb 22: The Port Blair airport in Andaman and Nicobar Islands is now equipped with the Instrument Landing System (ILS) which will enable aircraft movement during poor visibility, an official said on Thursday.
The ILS is a precision radio navigation system that provides short-range guidance to an aircraft allowing it to approach a runway at night, during bad weather and poor visibility.
The procedure has been validated during the day as a Vistara flight UK 747 from Kolkata to Port Blair, Airport Director Devender Yadav told PTI.
The night landing facility at the Veer Savarkar International (VSI) Airport is expected to be available by March end as work on installing a key illumination system on the runway is going on in full swing, another official said.
About the operationalisation of ILS, Yadav said only one formality is left now.
“Soon, all data about ILS will be uploaded to Aeronautical Information Publication (a portal under the supervision of the Airport Authority of India and Directorate General of Civil Aviation),” Yadav said.
Then the flight rules of the VSI Airport will be switched from Visual Flight Rule (VFR) to Instrument Flight Rule (IFR) to enable flight operations at night and in bad weather conditions, he said.
“We will switch to IFR as soon as possible. It will be a game changer for civil aviation in Andaman and Nicobar and a major enabler for monsoon tourism. This will also minimise flight diversions to the mainland due to rough weather conditions,” the airport director said.
Meanwhile, another official said that Indian Navy is also working to complete installation of Runway Lightening System (RLS) which is also required for night landing of aircraft. The work is expected to end by March end.
Air navigation services throughout the oceanic region of the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea are provided by the Airports Authority of India.
The Communication, Navigation and Surveillance (CNS) installations at Andaman & Nicobar Islands, particularly in Port Blair, will play an important role in extending these services to the aircraft particularly flying between the Far East and the Middle East, the official said. (PTI )
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