Delhi IGI Airport & Fog: Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport now has the support of three special powers. Now every difficulty from terminal to runway can be made easier with the help of these three powers. Not only this, due to these three powers the havoc of fog will also be neutralized. Yes, among the three powers we are talking about, the first is Winter Fog Experiment (WiFEX), the second is Artificial Intelligence Predictive Analytics (AI-PA), and the third is the power of CAT-III-B.
Winter Fog Experiment (WiFEX) will help airport agencies in reading fog patterns for flight operations. At the same time, with the help of Artificial Intelligence Predictive Analytics (AI-PA), the recovery time at the airport can be reduced from six hours to two hours. As far as CAT-III-B power is concerned, the RVR (Runway Visibility Range) is only 50 meters, that is, even when nothing is visible due to dense elbows, the plane will be able to land without any problem.
APOC will become the new brain of the airport
To ensure normal flight operations amid the thick fog, ‘Airport Predictive Operations Center (APOC)’ has been set up at Delhi Airport. It is a high-tech command center that will bring real-time weather data, runway status, air traffic, ground handling and all information about airlines on a single screen. With the help of APOC, decisions can now be taken within minutes as to which runway to use, which flight to land first. Also, gates and stands can be best utilized with the help of APOC. If visibility decreases due to dense cover on the runway, resources can be immediately reallocated with the help of APOC.
WiFEX will sound the knock of fog
‘Winter Fog Experiment (WiFEX) is a ten-year-old research project of Pune-based Indian Institute of Tropical Metrology (IITM), India Metrological Department (IMD) and DIAL, which is being implemented this time at IGI Airport as a pilot project. In this project, data on changes in temperature, humidity, wind direction and speed, pollution particles, microphysics of fog droplets and visibility will be continuously collected from high-tech equipment like ceilometer, radiation sensor, aerosol counter and remote sensing tower. It is claimed that WiFEX can predict the arrival of fog with 85% accuracy.
All three runways equipped with CAT-III-B power
Delhi Airport has four runways, but mainly only three are used. These include 10/28, 11R/29L and 11L/29R. According to Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL), in the recent upgradation, CAT-III Instrument Landing System (ILS) has also been installed at the Dwarka end of Runway 10/28. With this, Delhi Airport has become the first airport in the country where all three main runways are CAT-III compliant from both ends. This means that no matter from which direction the fog comes, pilots will be able to land safely with the help of the automatic system without seeing anything.
Fog in Delhi is a part of nature, we cannot stop it. But we can definitely ensure that its impact on passengers is minimal. This year, arrangements have been made to detect fog in advance at Delhi Airport using next-generation AI tools, predictive analytics and WiFEX data. Also, all three runways have been CAT-III equipped from both sides. Due to all this, the recovery time in fog will now reduce from 6 hours to 2 hours. DIAL’s entire focus is on providing safe, reliable and comfortable travel to the passengers in winters. – Vidyeh Kumar Jaipuriar, CEO, Delhi International Airport Limited
What will change for passengers with all three powers?
- Now the chances of your flight getting canceled or getting delayed by hours due to fog has reduced a lot because Delhi Airport has installed next-gen AI and predictive analytics which can make accurate predictions even before the fog arrives. Due to this, passengers do not have to wait unnecessarily at the airport and most of the flights remain on-time.
- WiFEX project will provide 85% accurate fog forecast. With the help of which the airport gets to know 1 to 36 hours in advance when and how dense the fog will be. The direct benefit of this to passengers is that airlines and airports will be able to plan in advance, due to which sudden cancellations and long delays will almost be eliminated.
- Now both ends of all three runways of Delhi Airport i.e. 10/28, 11L/29R and 11R/29L have become CAT-III compliant. Therefore, pilots can land safely even in very dense fog. Its advantage for the passengers is that instead of being diverted, their flight will land in Delhi itself and they will not miss their connection.
- The recovery time after fog was earlier 6 hours, now it will be only 2 hours. This means that as soon as the fog clears, flights will become normal very soon. Passengers will no longer need to remain stranded at the airport from morning to evening, rather they will be able to reach home or destination quickly. All this will be possible through Artificial Intelligence Predictive Analytics (AI-PA).
- Due to Airport Predictive Operations Center (APOC), runways, gates and stands can be used in a very smart manner. More and more flights can be handled even in fog. Airlines, ATC, ground staff will get real time data at one place. This will reduce the waiting time for flights.
- Now about 30 landings can be made per hour even in fog. Earlier it was much less than this. Its direct benefit to the passengers is that their flight will not have to be held for a long time or circled. Now their flight will be able to land at the airport without any delay.
Understand in an easy way what is going to change at the airport?
What new preparations has Delhi Airport made this time to deal with winter fog?
Delhi Airport has been equipped with Winter Fog Experiment (WiFEX), Artificial Intelligence Predictive Analytics (AI-PA), Airport Predictive Operations Center (APOC), Fog Prediction Data (WiFEX). All three main runways have been CAT-III compliant at both ends. So that flight operation and passenger experience can be improved.
What is APOC and how does it help in fog?
APOC i.e. Airport Predictive Operations Center is a high-tech command center that brings all the data of real-time weather, runway conditions, air traffic and ground operations in one place. This allows the right decisions to be taken within minutes, makes the best use of the runway and keeps operations running almost normally even in fog.
What is WiFEX and what is its accuracy?
Winter Fog Experiment (WiFEX) is a ten year old joint research program of IIMT Pune, IMD and DIAL. This time it is being used at the airport as a pilot project. It can predict the arrival of fog 1 to 36 hours in advance with 85 percent accuracy.
With CAT-III, how many landings can be made per hour in fog?
All three main runways (10/28, 11R/29L and 11L/29R) are now fully CAT-III compliant at both ends. Recently a new CAT-III ILS has been installed at the Dwarka end of Runway 10/28. Now about 30 landings can be made per hour in fog.
