BENGALURU: The Air Traffic Control (ATC) at the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) is set for a massive upgradation to meet the future air traffic movement and to incorporate latest technologies. Located near Terminal 1, the ATC began operations on May 24, 2008, the day KIA operated its first flight.
This nerve centre for flight operations, managed by Airports Authority of India, has seen a tremendous surge in air traffic movement.
A spokesperson of airport operator, Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) said that the airport witnesses 720 to 730 air traffic movements daily.
“The present plan is to build another tower within the airport premises and the operations being conducted at the present ATC will be transferred there in phases. We need to be extremely careful that operations are not impacted,” an informed source told TNIE.
After operations are fully shifted, the ATC will be upgraded completely.
Another source said that technology has undergone a tectonic shift in the last decade. “We plan to upgrade the ATC with the latest communication equipments. They need to be imported,” he said. The refurbishment and upgradation of the new ATC will cost around Rs 200 crore, the source added.
A source familiar with airport operations said, “The lifeline of all the equipments being used in the present ATC ranges between 10 and 12 years. Since they are already in a good shape, we get them annually assessed and certified by the safety authority of AAI.”
The upgraded ATC could take anywhere between 6 months and one year to be set up.
A BIAL spokesperson said, “The proposed ATC is in a preliminary stage. We do not want to comment on it.”