New Delhi:
Delhi is witnessing dense fog for the second consecutive day on Saturday, prompting the airport to state in an advisory that flights that aren’t CAT III compliant would possibly get affected. On the Indira Gandhi Worldwide Airport, departure delays of a median of 37 minutes have been witnessed as on 8 am, as per FlightRadar 24. Nearly 100 flights have been delayed, whereas six Delhi-bound flights have been diverted. On Friday, greater than 400 flights have been delayed attributable to unhealthy climate circumstances on the airport.
What Is CAT III
CAT III is an Instrument Landing System (ILS) which aids planes in touchdown in extraordinarily poor visibility circumstances, offering pilots ground-based radio navigation concerning the plane’s runway alignment and glide path. The system employs two radio beams that provide horizontal and vertical help throughout touchdown.
CAT III A system permits touchdown of plane upto Runway Visible Vary (RVR) not lower than 200 meters. CAT III B permits touchdown of plane when RVR is lower than 200 meters however not lower than 50 meters, whereas CAT III C permits touchdown in zero visibility circumstances. These circumstances embody these arising out of snow, rain, or in Delhi’s case, fog.
Additionally Learn | Unsure How To Drive Safely In Fog? Here Are Our 5 Tips
Other than horizontal and vertical steering, CAT III additionally offers knowledge on strategy trajectory and landing zone. Additional, steering can also be given concerning the space left to the runway, when to deploy flaps and apply brakes.
The CAT II system guides the plane within the occasion that the RVR will not be lower than 350 metres, whereas a CAT I system assists touchdown for a RVR of over 550 metres. The RVR is the space until which the pilot can see the runway’s lights or markers.
Which Indian Airports Are CAT III Compliant?
There are six airports in India the place the runways are licensed for CAT III B operations – Delhi, Lucknow, Jaipur, Amritsar, Bengaluru and Kolkata.
CAT III A system was first put in on runway 28 at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi Worldwide airport in 12 months 2001 and was upgraded to CAT III B ILS with Superior Floor Motion Steerage and Management Techniques (ASMGCS) in 2005 at a price of Rs 55 crores.
Other than an airport runway being compliant to a CAT class, touchdown beneath the mentioned class can also be depending on flight gear and pilot coaching.
No Indian airport is CAT III C grievance but. The system is in software at New York’s John F Kennedy Worldwide Airport and London’s Heathrow Airport.