Nagpur: The addition of Primary Radar System has strengthened Nagpur’s Air Traffic Controller (ATC). It is already equipped with a Secondary Radar system with which it could catch aircraft flying within 200 nautical miles.
The Secondary Radar system can catch the aircraft when it has a transponder. Now, Primary Radar System has been installed which ends the need of transponder in the aircraft. Primary target is a radar target with no additional information. The difference is of range as the Primary Radar system could catch the aircraft within 60 nautical miles. Nagpur Airport is equipped with Primary and Secondary Radar along with Automatic Dependent Surveillance– Broadcast (ADS-B).
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Explaining the technology, Niraj Shrivastava, Joint General Manager, ATC said, “It is a surveillance technology in which an aircraft determines its position via satellite navigation and periodically broadcasts it, enabling it to be tracked. The information can be received by ATC ground stations. It can also be transmitted and received point-to-point by other aircraft.”
ATC celebrated its foundation day on Friday, October 20. Around 1,500 aircraft pass by Nagpur air every day and Nagpur’s ATC has to monitor them. G K Khare, General Manager, AAI said, “The job of air traffic controllers is extremely difficult. Rigorous training, intense concentration and zero tolerance to any error make their job one of the most stressful professions in the world. ATC continuously keeps a vigilant watch in the air throughout day and night. They work on weekends and holidays to keep the aircraft and passengers safe in the sky. Adverse weather conditions, emergency situations, system failure, fatigue management, and personal medical conditions due to working at night are some of the challenges they face.”
As far as Nagpur airport is concerned around 120 ATCs are working 24 hours at Nagpur airport to control Central India’s complex airspace. Apart from landing and takeoff, Nagpur controllers control all the overflying aircraft and facilitate landing and take-off of satellite airports like Bhopal, Indore, Jabalpur, Gondia, Raipur and many smaller airports.
