Agartala, Mar 4 (PTI) The newly installed Instrument Landing System (ILS) at Agartala airport, which will help aircraft operation during low visibility conditions, will become operational on March 21, an official said on Tuesday.
The system uses radio signals and provides necessary guidance to the pilots while they approach for landing, even during rain, low clouds and smog.
The old Instrument Landing System (ILS) system at the Maharaja Bir Bikram (MBB) airport here was declared abandoned in April last year as its shelf life was over, thus causing trouble for the pilots to land flights at the airport during tough weather conditions, the official said.
“The new ILS was installed at the end of October to provide better guidance to the pilot to land aircraft on foggy conditions or stormy days,” the Director of MBB Airport, K C Meena, told PTI.
As per the protocol, a special aircraft of the Airports Authority of India checked the new system in November, the airport director said.
“Following our persuasion, the AAI headquarters has given its approval to inaugurate the new ILS system on March 21. Once the system becomes operational, pilots will be able to smoothly land their aircraft even in hostile weather conditions,” Meena said.
“During last winter, many flights could not land at Agartala due to foggy conditions creating convenience to the fliers due to the absence of the ILS,” another AAI official said, adding several flights were cancelled following bad weather conditions.
Now, the pilots will be able to land flights even in difficult weather conditions. The new system will ensure an 800-meter visibility for the pilots to land, the official said. PTI PS SBN SBN
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