Facility likely to be made operation by April this year
Srinagar Feb 11: Work on the installment of Instrument Landing System (ILS) CAT II at the Srinagar International Airport is set to begin with Divisional Commissioner Kashmir convening a meeting tomorrow with concerned authorities to make it operational by April this year.
An official said that Divisional Commissioner Kashmir Pandurang K. Pole has convened a meeting on Friday with concerned authorities and PMGSY contractors over installation of Instrument Landing System (ILS) CAT II at the Srinagar International Airport.
“Government wants that Instrument Landing System (ILS) CAT II at the Srinagar International Airport is to be made operational by April this year. It will allow operation of flights at a minimum visibility of 350-metre,” the official said.
The project has been undertaken under the IAF’s “Modernization of Airport Facilities and Infrastructure (MAFI)” scheme.
In August last year, an IAF representative in the Airport Advisory Committee had informed the members that “at present ILS CAT I landing system is operational at the airport, while the work on CAT II will begin in November 2021.”
Members had laid stress on “need of an improved landing system at the Srinagar Airport”.
The official said the upgradation of ILS will ensure that flight operations are undertaken in less visibility especially foggy conditions.
“Currently the minimum visibility required for operation of flights at the Airport is 1300-meter but ILS CAT II will drastically reduce the required visibility,” the official said.
Srinagar airport is under direct operational control of the Indian Air Force (IAF), which controls its air traffic and landing strip and also the facilities of fire-fighting and crash activities, apart from the airspace. The terminal building, where the passengers check-in and check-out, and the apron area, where an aircraft is parked are controlled by the AAI.
The airport witnesses operations of 25-30 commercial flights every day. (KINS)
