Delhi prepares to put new tower into action

Neelam Mathews

Jane's Airport Review

24-05-2016

On 23 May 2016, controllers began training on systems in the new 25-storey air traffic control (ATC) tower at Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi, India.

IHS Jane's  was given a tour of the 102 m-tall tower, which cost more than USD 50 million. The visual control room has 21 controller positions with 360-degree visibility of the runway and taxiways, while 12 ground controller positions are in place at an operational level.

Indira Gandhi International is the busiest airport in India with 344,413 aircraft movements in the 12 months to March 2016. In the same period, passenger volume rose by 18.1% to 48.42 million. The new tower is designed to deal with expected growth up to 2032, when 500 stands are expected.

Training is under way for controllers at the new ATC tower in Indira Gandhi International Airport. (Neelam Mathews)

A hydraulic control system enables the cabin to be raised or lowered as needed, a senior official said. A 50-tonne harmonic absorber stops additional sway during high winds, and maintains structural stability in the event of an earthquake. "It will move in the opposite direction to which the building is moving to counterbalance the sway," an Airports Authority ofIndia (AAI) official explained, adding that the tower can withstand Zone 5 seismic disturbances as defined by the Indian Ministry of Earth Sciences.

Indra was awarded the contract by the AAI to modernise the automation system at other tower systems used at Delhi. The AAI demanded a high degree of customisation that included a five-level backup system in place of the present four levels, special alerts, a separate inbuilt air-defence capability, and billing functions.

Indra was the sole vendor, selected ahead of incumbent supplier Raytheon. The latter's AutoTrac III platform remains in use at Delhi until 2017, when the new tower is expected to begin independent operations. The new tower is entering service two years late, partly because construction was prohibited while VIP aircraft taxied at the airport, the AAI official explained to IHS Jane's. 

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