NewsDigest August.qxd
7/30/2010
6:04 PM
Page 20
NEWS DIGEST
PEELING
THE LAYERS
DREAM COME TRUE: The first passengers experience the travelator at the T3.
T
he Airports Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA) will come out with its draft guidelines for fixing airport charges by the end of August 2010 and that for cargo, fuel dispensation and ground handling should be ready soon. “We are in the process of finalising the draft guidelines for fixation of charges on airport services and this would be put up for public review and comment by
tower-cum-air traffic service block should be ready by early 2013. While the tower will be constructed by DIAL, AAI will underwrite the Rs 80 crore cost of the project. As with any project of this nature, the new ATC tower will be state-of-the-art with an enhanced range of electronics and features that will be a first, not only for India but for the whole of South-East Asia. Combined the total project cost is in the range of Rs 250-300 crore. The design has been drawn up by Hong Kong-based ATC tower, IGI airport HOK International Ltd. GMR Group Chief G M Rao had said at T3’s inauguration earlier this month that construction would begin in six months and would be over in two years. The Delhi ATC software, Raytheon Auto Track-II, is currently being upgraded to Auto Track-III system that
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August-end,” said AERA Chairman Dr Yashwant Bhave while addressing an interactive session organised by the IndoAmerican Chambers of Commerce in Delhi on July 22, 2010. The guidelines for determination of the charges for ground handling, cargo and fuel supply is nearly ready and should be uploaded on the AERA website soon. It has already put on its website the draft guidelnes for Air Navigation Services
has several advanced features like generating automatic alerts if an aircraft heads to a no-fly zone or is on a collision course with another plane. Its “arrival manager” allows controller to tackle congestion by adjusting traffic flow on a real time basis. In a special security feature, the system gives out alarms if a plane deviates from its set course. “We will upgrade to the next higher level software in the new tower and are already in talks with the US Federal Aviation Administration for that,” said Rao.
NEW SAFETY RULES
New safety rules have been put in place for VIP operation of planes and helicopters to avoid mishaps like the one which killed former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YSR Reddy. The rules, framed by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), encompass all aspects of flight operations — from acquisition of aircraft, employment of crew and engineers to definition of VIPs. The categories include the Lok Sabha Speaker, Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairperson, Cabinet Ministers, Chief Justice of India, Governors, Chief Ministers, State Cabinet Ministers and the SPG protectees who enjoy ‘Z-plus’ category security. The President, the Vice President and the Prime Minister travel on IAF aircraft as a rule. While no flight would be allowed to be operated when “weather conditions are not conducive to safe operations”, every VIP flight
CRUISING HEIGHTS August 2010