Mumbai airport has been witnessing smoother air traffic ever since the Performance Based Navigation System (PBNS) was launched two months ago.
Mumbai airport has been witnessing smoother air traffic ever since the Performance Based Navigation System (PBNS) was launched two months ago.
However, this has not lead to a reduction in the Air Traffic Control (ATC) workload, as the system is yet to be utilised by all airlines. This has resulted in creating more stress among officials as they have to follow two different sets of procedures to control air traffic.
On August 28, Mumbai airport took the first step towards the concept of Future Air Navigation System (FANS) when it introduced the PBNS. Although the domestic airlines have endorsed the system, the National Aviation Company of India Ltd.
(NACIL) and GoAir are still waiting for approval from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). According to sources, the lack of regulatory approval to use the PBNS for these two airlines as compared to the others is creating problems for the Air Traffic Control (ATC) at Mumbai.
“While airlines which have endorsed PBNS rely on satellite or the aircraft navigation facility, NACIL and GoAir need to be guided by the ATC with a different procedure,” said an airport official.
The system makes use of satellite navigation, and reduces the airlines’ dependency on ground-based navigation system. PBNS has brought Mumbai airport on par with several in Europe, Singapore, Japan, the US and the UK. Airports in West Asia, and those of countries around the Indian Ocean, are yet to be equipped with the system.
PBNS reduces congestion in the sky by creating new routes, thus enabling the ATC to handle more aircraft in a limited airspace.
It also helps reduce the holding time for the aircraft and enables pilots to stock up enough fuel for the journey, even before take-off.
When contacted, a spokesperson for Air India (AI) said that their Boeing 777 and 747-400 aircraft have endorsed PBNS and they have filed papers to the DGCA to seek approval for their Boeing 737 aircraft.
The spokesperson for GoAir said, “All aircraft on the GoAir fleet are currently compliant with the PBNS. The airline is only awaiting the DGCA’s approval.”
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