New Delhi: Pre-departure clearance of aircraft by air traffic controllers in India is all set for a major technology upgrade as the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has begun trial operations of data link communication at Mumbai airport.
The new system will eventually replace the present system of pre-departure clearances being given using voice communication and will eliminate possibility of human error thus enhancing safety and efficiency of operations, the Ministry of Civil Aviation said in a statement.
The trial operation was launched by Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh during his visit to Mumbai last Monday.
In addition to Mumbai, such data link departure clearance (DLC) systems are being installed at the airports in Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad.
Pre-departure clearance is an authorisation issued by air traffic controllers to the pilot on which runway to use, route to be followed from departure to destination and the cruising level that the aircraft is expected to maintain.
At present, air traffic controllers issue pre-departure clearance through voice communication using very high frequency radio.
The pilots are expected to read back the entire clearance to confirm the correct receipt of the same, again through voice communication.
Such a procedure using voice may lead to potential misunderstanding between the pilot and the air traffic controller, the ministry said.
Loss of time
It also results in loss of time for the pilot waiting for his turn to get the clearance as it is not possible for more than one pilot to talk to the controller at a time, it added.
According to the ministry, these limitations can be addressed by using data link communication instead of voice.
In the new system, a pilot requests clearance using the flight management computer in the cockpit. The controller gets the information about the aircraft requesting the clearance on his work-station.
The controller selects the appropriate clearance from the data base and at the press of a button, the information goes to the cockpit of the aircraft via data link.
Getting the information both on screen and print via data link confirms issue and receipt of correct clearance, saves time for the pilot and eliminates human errors thereby enhancing safety and operational efficiency, the ministry said.
