Srinagar, Dec 01: The work on the installation of Instrument Landing System (ILS) CAT II at Srinagar International Airport is underway and it is likely to be commissioned in June 2023, officials revealed on Thursday.
Director, Airports Authority of India, Srinagar, Kuldeep Singh told Rising Kashmir that work was underway on the advanced ILS at the airport. “It will be commissioned in June next year,” he said.
“So far, we have completed Civil and Electrical work on the advanced ILS and efforts are underway to complete the project within the stipulated time period,” Singh said.
He said after the commissioning of the new ILS system the visibility threshold will improve to 500 M. Flight operations that used to disrupt during winters will improve next winter with the installation of this system.
Director Airport, Singh said so far no flight has been disrupted due to foggy weather conditions at the airport. All flights are operating normally at the airport, he said.
Another official wishing anonymity at the airport said an advanced ILS project has been undertaken under the IAF’s “Modernization of Airport Facilities and Infrastructure (MAFI)” scheme.
He said the approach lights are also being replaced. The removal of old lights began on May 15th this year and installation of new lights will be completed soon, he said.
“The upgradation of ILS CAT II will ensure that flight operations are undertaken in low visibility particularly during the foggy weather conditions. Last year around 150-160 flights were cancelled due to low visibility at the airport, the official said.
As per the official, the minimum visibility required for operation of flights at the Airport is around 1300-meter and new ILS will drastically reduce the required visibility.
“We have state-of-the-art landing and navigation facilities and will continuously strive for their improvement in line with the increase in traffic,” he said.
The official said the equipment at the airport measures up to the safety standards of ICAO and BCAS.
“We have installed equipment at the airport including Doppler Very High-Frequency Omni Range (DVOR), Non-Directional Beacon (NDB), Instrument Landing System (ILS), X-Ray Baggage Inspection System(XBIS), Inline Baggage Screening System (ILBS) that can detect explosives easily and Explosive Trace Detection (ETD),” he said.
Last year during winter, Srinagar airport used modern machinery for snow removal and ice clearing from the airfield. Our objective is always to ensure minimum disruption to the flight operations, the official said.
He said necessary steps to ensure that all operations are conducted in a safe and secure manner. Over the past two years, authorities have installed a range of modern equipment for the purpose of air navigation of aircraft, passenger safety, and security.
