Unreliable Auto Track-III is being tried out at airport

Air traffic management software Auto Track-III, which has collapsed thrice this year, notably during British prime minister David Cameron’s visit in July, is being given another chance to prove itself.

The civil aviation ministry has put the software on trial just before the visit, a decision that is giving aviation engineers and air traffic controllers sleepless nights. The software has collapsed at least thrice this year — on January 14 and 26. After the July incident, it was shelved.

The radar screen at IGI airport showing the movement of British prime minister David Cameron’s aircraft on July 28, went blank creating a scare at the air traffic control tower. The tower had to shift to the older software, Auto Track-II, to ensure safe landing. The incident had not gone down well with the UK government.

“It [Auto Track-III] is not friendly, behaves erratically and is very unpredictable. Besides, it very complicated, making it difficult for air traffic controllers to monitor aircraft movement. The [ministry’s] move is incomprehensible,” a senior aviation engineer said.

In January, a Mumbai airport official had written to the aviation ministry refusing to install the software at the Mumbai airport. He had reportedly claimed that the software was “unstable” and could collapse at a critical time leading to a disaster.

The software was purchased, against all advice, for a staggering Rs150 crore from US-based company Raytheon.