BENGALURU:
Kempegowda International Airport
‘s (KIA)
Air Traffic Control
(ATC) is on the cusp of a significant transformation to accommodate future air traffic growth and incorporate cutting-edge technologies.
The current ATC, situated near Terminal 1, commenced
operations
on May 24, 2008, coinciding with the inauguration of KIA’s first flight. This critical hub for flight operations, managed by the Airports Authority of India (AAI), has experienced a substantial increase in air traffic movements over the years.
“The airport handles 720 to 730 air traffic movement every day and to meet rising demands and enhance the efficiency of operations, plans are underway to construct a new
ATC tower
within airport premises,” a
BIAL
spokesperson told TOI.
Adding: “There will be refurbishing, new technology with the latest
communication equipment
will be upgraded at the ATC.”
According to sources close to TOI, the present plan is to build another tower within airport premises and the operations being conducted at the present ATC will be transferred in phases.
“Once operations are fully migrated to the new tower, the current ATC will be completely upgraded. The new tower will feature state-of-the-art communication equipment, reflecting the significant technological advancements made over the past decade,” the spokesperson added.
The refurbishment and upgrading process is expected to cost approximately Rs 200 crore.
The source further added, “The current ATC is in good condition, these have a lifespan of 10 to 12 years. Given that the current equipment is in good condition, we conduct annual assessments and obtain certification from the AAI’s safety authority.”
The construction and setup of the new ATC could take anywhere from six months to one year. However, a BIAL spokesperson noted that the proposed ATC is still in its preliminary stages and refrained from providing further comments.
