Airports Authority, Navy To Enhance Safety, Capacity In Goa

Panaji: In a bid to enhance safety, efficiency and capability at the Goa airport, the Airports Authority of India has decided to augment Navy air traffic control (ATC) facility here by sharing real time data of flights from Mumbai airport ATC, an official release said today.

The Goa airport is currently in Indian Navy's facility, INS Hansa, near Vasco town, 40 kms away from Panaji.

The airport officials yesterday held meeting with the Indian Navy in presence of Member of Air Navigation Services (ANS) AK Dutta, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) said in the release.

ANS is a wing of the AAI.

The real-time processed data of multiple ATC radar feeds from Mumbai ATC automation system will be transported to Navy ATC through dedicated high speed data link and it will be displayed to Navy ATC officers at Goa, the release said.

This air traffic situational data display in Navy ATC tower will provide a complete details of inbound, outbound flights operating to Goa as well as en-route flights under control of Indian Navy ATC, it added.

Meanwhile, Goa airport director BCH Negi said that the sharing of the data from Mumbai ATC to Navy in Goa at the real-time basis would be done before the end of current year.

Mr Negi stated that there was a need felt of such arrangement because "Indian Navy radar in Goa was not covering areas of Mumbai".

"That is why we are giving them the radar data of civilian flights from Mumbai," he added.

Mr Negi also said that the new instrument landing system (ILS) will be installed by the AAI at the Goa airport by replacing the old one of Indian Navy "to improve flight safety".

In addition to sharing ATC data of Mumbai, the AAI will also install next generation surveillance system 'ADS-B' at the Goa airport which will act as a backup for radar, he said.

Goa airport currently has the capacity of handling six million tourists annually, while the AAI is in the process to increase the capacity of this facility.