New time separation of flights on trial will reduce delays

Air traffic through Mumbai is expected to get swifter with the new time based separation of flights that is now being tried out at the city airport.

The new system that separates aircraft, whether they are landing or taking off, will replace the distance based system that was used till now.

The Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA) is only the second terminal in the world to try the time based separation system after London's Heathrow, which is running a similar trial.

Air traffic management (ATM) officials said the new system would help to significantly reduce the delay between aircraft that occurs mainly due to high winds and consequently lead to an increase in the number of aircraft movements even in bad weather.

Currently, there are an average 38 arrivals or departures during peak hours and it is expected that the number would increase to 48 with the new system.

In fact, on Wednesday aircraft movements touched 51 within an hour, setting a record for the airport which is operating on just one runway due to topographical constraints.

Addressing an event to mark the 50th anniversary of the Air Traffic Controllers' Guild, AB Joshi, joint general manager, ATM, said, "The trial run has been on for over a month. To my knowledge Heathrow is the only other airport that has a similar system in place."

Joshi made the remarks as part of his presentation on recent developments and the scenario for safe, seamless and synchronized air traffic management.

No time frame has been set for completion of the trial run. The ATM will assess all safety and efficiency aspects of the new technology.

One could get an idea of the benefit of the time based system from a study of its implementation at Heathrow that estimated a reduction in delays at more than 80,000 minutes annually.

Under existing procedure, aircraft are separated by set distances that depends on factors like turbulence. In strong headwinds, planes fly slower, requiring extra time between landings.

Consequently, maintaining a greater distance between aircraft means fewer landings and more delay, in certain cases even cancellations.

"With the time based separation, air traffic controllers (ATC) and pilots know the exact time allotted for departure of a plane between two arriving aircraft," said a senior ATC official.