Air passengers headed for Delhi may have to resign themselves to another winter of fog-delayed flights because of the lack of pilots trained in the use of the latest technology used for landing in foggy conditions.
Only 12 of the 870 pilots in the domestic sector have undergone training in the use of the Instrument Landing System (ILS) Category (CAT) IIIA. Moreover, both pilots and airport officials claim that the CAT IIIA system is ineffective in Delhi, where visibility often drops below 200 metres.
In spite of the fact that the civil aviation ministry had directed Jet Airways and Air Sahara to train pilots on the CAT IIIA system last year, the airlines do not have any trained pilots yet. Indian Airlines has 12 trained pilots, while 23 more are undergoing training.
Airports Authority of India (AAI) officials are of the opinion that if more pilots flying in the domestic sector are trained in the use of the landing system, there will be lesser diversions during the winter months.
According to data available with the Delhi airport authorities, while 16 international airlines had used the ILS CAT IIIA system on 58 flights last winter, none of the domestic airlines used it. The AAI had declared the system fully operational last year.
