NEW DELHI: In a major boost to aviation safety and meteorological capability in India, an advanced integrated aviation weather intelligence and nowcasting facility became operational at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) on Friday.
SKYCAST is a joint venture between the Ministry of Science and Technology and Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL).
An official release from DIAL said, “SKYCAST is a next generation aviation meteorological platform that integrates advanced remote sensing technologies, atmospheric profiling systems and intelligent nowcasting tools to continuously track rapidly evolving weather conditions that may impact flight operations.”
The system combines a Radar Wind Profiler, Microwave Profiling Radiometer, Sonic Detection and Ranging, and Automated Weather Stations to deliver high resolution wind and thermodynamic profiling of the atmosphere.
“With the commissioning of SKYCAST, Delhi airport becomes the only airport in India to deploy a comprehensive, real time atmospheric monitoring system specifically designed to support aviation and airport operations,” DIAL said.
It enables continuous real time monitoring of critical atmospheric parameters, including temperature and humidity profiles, wind speed and direction, and near surface high resolution wind observations.
“SKYCAST is capable of assessing atmospheric conditions from the surface up to nearly 10 km altitude for thermodynamic profiling and several kilometres for wind observations. This significantly enhances the ability of meteorologists and aviation stakeholders to accurately track and respond to rapidly changing weather systems,” it said.
A key feature of the system is its automated nowcasting and hazard alerting capability. It detects and provides real time alerts for critical aviation hazards, including wind shear, fog, inversions, icing and turbulence.
It also supports short term operational nowcasts updated every five minutes. The platform is supported by the VizAir software suite.
Videh Kumar Jaipuriar, CEO of DIAL, said: “SKYCAST is an important step forward in making Delhi Airport even safer and more resilient for everyone who travels through it. Weather can change very quickly, and having access to accurate, real-time information makes a real difference on the ground and in the air. This system will help our teams, pilots and air traffic controllers make quicker, more informed decisions, ultimately ensuring smoother and safer journeys for passengers.”