CHENNAI: Union Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu said on Tuesday that India’s air traffic controllers (ATCs) will have to handle over a fivefold increase in passenger numbers by 2047 as the country aims to grow from the current 24 crore air passengers annually to 130 crore passengers in the next two decades.
In a recorded message to controllers gathered in Chennai for the International Day of Air Traffic Controllers, the minister said the Airport Authority of India (AAI) has earmarked 3,490 crore to modernise air navigation infrastructure, including 1,532 crore for automating air traffic management systems. The minister said flexible use of airspace has saved an estimated 895 crore and nearly 1.95 lakh tonnes of carbon dioxide since August 2020.
Speaking on the occasion, AAI member (Human Resources) Nivedita Dubey vowed to overhaul career progression, give ATCs a voice in how heavily-funded navigation technology is bought, and open access to senior management.
Dubey said the AAI has signed pacts with IIMs and will soon begin nominating officers for specialist programmes. K Murali, GM for air traffic control in Chennai, said the clearest operational test came when Pakistan closed its airspace to Indian flights during Operation Sindoor.
Airlines submitted alternative routes, controllers said, which were unavailable, and operators chose from the rest, Murali said. Controllers approved and facilitated the flight plans.
