A solution to frequent glitches in air navigation system that have been taking place due to poor service providers.
Due to the frequent glitches in the air navigation system that have been taking place from time to time due to poor service providers, the Airports Authority of India (AAI), which controls air navigation and operates most of the country's civil aviation airports, is looking towards the railways for help in ensuring that planes fly safely and on time in the upper airspace.
According to highly-placed sources, the AAI is in 'various early stages' of talks with RailTel for its infrastructure broadband and application service needs, as part of its upper airspace harmonisation programme, which is being rolled out in stages across the country. Kolkata and Chennai have already been covered under the programme, with Mumbai expected to be integrated in the next phase.
"Before Mumbai gets integrated, there is a need for reliable data services infrastructure system. We are hoping that the entire country, including Mumbai, gets covered by the end of the year," said a senior official from the communication, navigation and surveillance (CNS) department of the AAI, which is responsible for maintaining infrastructure related to air navigation systems.
RailTel Corporation, which is a 'Mini Ratna' public sector unit, claims to be one of the largest neutral telecom infrastructure providers in the country, owning a pan-India optic fiber network on exclusive right of way along railway tracks. Private companies lack reach and connectivity in comparison to it.
"We are in various stages of talks with RailTel for sharing data across the country's airports," said CR Sudhir, the executive director of the AAI's CNA department.
RK Bahuguna, CMD, RailTel, did not respond to calls made by dna.
What has shifted the AAI's interest in RailTel's favour is its assurance of 'no last-mile connectivity problems', since most of the time, the snapping of networks takes place during last-mile connectivity.
For instance, there was an incident as recently as on Thursday when there was an alleged loss of contact for 10 minutes between the Air Traffic Control and 85-odd planes in the Kolkata airspace due to a breakdown in the communication link of the BSNL infrastructure. This led to panic among the general public and RailTel might make its move faster than expected because of this incident. An aviation ministry official, however, said: "There was no danger to aircraft movement as the feed from two radars at Kolkata and one at Behrampur was available continuously."
But Thursday's incident at the Kolkata airport is not an isolated case, since sources claim that a similar problem took place in October last year in Kolkata again. Missing BSNL links have also been reported in the past from Chennai, Varanasi, Guwahati, Katihar and Kishanganj, the sources said.
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