New Delhi: Some time in 2014, two aircraft belonging to two different airlines but with similar call signs came uncomfortably close to each other while in the Kolkata airspace. An accident was averted but the panic it created was enough for the Air Traffic Control (ATC) to write to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to ensure no two flights operating under the same airport should have similar-sounding call signs.
Following this, the regulator formed a committee to suggest steps to avoid such situations. A senior DGCA official explained that in some regions, aircraft communication is simultaneously handled by different authorities — Airports Authority of India (AAI), defence authorities and sometimes a foreign nation. Call signs are used by pilots and ground controllers to identify aircraft. “In the instance of border areas like northeast, the communication shifts from the AAI, Indian Air Force and Bangladesh. In case of pockets in south India such as Andaman & Nicobar Islands, it passes from the AAI to Sri Lanka,” said the official, adding: “The committee has recorded incidents in these areas, which can lead to serious threats.”
The committee, headed by DGCA chief M Sathiyavathy, is to give its report by March 18.
“This is a critical issue that has been raised by the ATC numerous times. So, the regulator has decided to form a committee comprising representatives from airlines, Delhi International Airport Limited and AAI to change the call signs of airlines, which can lead to such confusion,” said the official cited above.
To Read the News in Full 20/02/16 Arindam Majumder/Business Standard
Following this, the regulator formed a committee to suggest steps to avoid such situations. A senior DGCA official explained that in some regions, aircraft communication is simultaneously handled by different authorities — Airports Authority of India (AAI), defence authorities and sometimes a foreign nation. Call signs are used by pilots and ground controllers to identify aircraft. “In the instance of border areas like northeast, the communication shifts from the AAI, Indian Air Force and Bangladesh. In case of pockets in south India such as Andaman & Nicobar Islands, it passes from the AAI to Sri Lanka,” said the official, adding: “The committee has recorded incidents in these areas, which can lead to serious threats.”
The committee, headed by DGCA chief M Sathiyavathy, is to give its report by March 18.
“This is a critical issue that has been raised by the ATC numerous times. So, the regulator has decided to form a committee comprising representatives from airlines, Delhi International Airport Limited and AAI to change the call signs of airlines, which can lead to such confusion,” said the official cited above.
To Read the News in Full 20/02/16 Arindam Majumder/Business Standard
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