NEW DELHI:
Flight controllers at Delhi air traffic control (ATC) have been found wanting by a probe into a mid-air near miss incident between IndiGo and KLM Royal Dutch Airline aircraft over the national capital in 2016.
The investigation report by Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau cited that Delhi ATC flight controllers designated wrong call signs to guide the two aircraft, which dangerously reduced the distance between them. However, an internal system warmed the pilots about the impending danger, thus averting the mid-air crash.
As per the investigation report submitted to the Ministry of Civil Aviation, the ATC licence or tower rating of 101 out of 109 radar controllers at the Delhi airport were found to have lapsed – rendering their licence invalid.
Norms mandate that the licence or tower rating lapses, if the radar controller does not perform the duty even once in six months. The report pointed out that 101 air traffic control did not perform any duty for about a year.
Additionally, the report recommended that neccessary steps should be taken for revalidation of tower rating of 101 radar controllers and that Airports Authority of India should take measures to prevent such lapses at mass level in the future.
