Air Traffic Control: Improving Systems & Tech

New Delhi, Nov 18 (PTI) Authorities are looking at ways to improve air traffic control systems and bring in future technologies in the wake of the recent technical glitch that had delayed more than 800 flights at the Delhi airport.

A technical problem with the Automatic Message Switching System (AMSS), which supports the air traffic control's flight planning process, resulted in chaos at the Delhi airport on November 7, and the issue was addressed later.

On whether a cyber attack has been ruled out as a possible cause of the AMSS problem, Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu on Tuesday said it will be known "after a thorough investigation".

Without disclosing specific details, he also said an investigation is being carried out to find the exact root cause of the incident.

"So, we are looking at how we have to improve our systems, meet the standards... (how to bring) future technologies into the ATC (Air Traffic Control)... we have asked them to let us know on what should be the way forward in terms of (whether they want) more upgraded technologies," Naidu said on the sidelines of a conference in the national capital.

Communication, Navigation and Surveillance (CNS) are the main functions of Air Navigation Services (ANS) and Air Traffic Management (ATM). These services are offered by the state-owned Airports Authority of India (AAI).

On November 8, Naidu directed officials to carry out a detailed root-cause analysis of the technical glitch at the Delhi airport's air traffic control system and to put in place backup servers to boost operations.

"Owing to the coordinated efforts of ECIL engineers, ATC (Air Traffic Control) personnel, and the ministry's proactive monitoring, the system was fully restored to automatic mode by the afternoon of November 8.

"There were no flight cancellations today owing to the issue," the civil aviation ministry said in a statement on November 8.

The Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) in the national capital, which has four runways, handles more than 1,500 flight movements daily.