Airport gears up to water down monsoon effect

MUMBAI: Having learned  a lesson the hard way during last year’s monsoon, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) does not want to take chances with the safety of aircraft and passengers this year.

It is gearing up to ensure smooth functioning of Mumbai airports during this year’s rains by replacing old equipment with latest, high-tech ones.

The greatest cause of concern last year - the Instrument Landing System (ILS) set up - will be the first to be overhauled, as precaution to avoid accident on the runway during monsoon. Three old and worn-out ILS will be replaced on a priority basis.

“The installing process is on, and we expect it to be complete before monsoon,” AAI Executive Director (Western Region) SRR Rao said. 

The ILS equipment on both sides of the primary runway and the 14-side of the secondary runway were being replaced, he said.

In Mumbai airports, the CAT 1 type of ILS is employed. This can relay signals to an aircraft up to a height of 400 meters.

During last year’s deluge, the failure of the ILS had forced the closure of the runway for two days. The ILS facilities are highly accurate and, hence, the most dependable means of navigating the runway. The system relays signals vertically and laterally to an aircraft just before it starts its descent on the runway. The instrument emitting these signals is called the “glide slope.”

Another instrument, called the localiser, guides a pilot to maintain the aircraft along the central axis of the runway to avoid skidding or crash.