TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER TITLE PAGE NO

I Introduction

II Research Methodology

III Air Traffic Management

Communication Navigation and Surveillance

IV
System

V Summary of Findings, Suggestion & Conclusion

Appendix
 CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION

An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial air

transport.Airports often have facilities to store and maintain aircraft, and a control tower.
An airport consists of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space
including at least one operationally active surface such as a runway for a plane to take off
or a helipad and often includes adjacent utility buildings such as control
towers, hangars and terminals.

Larger airports may have airport aprons, taxiway bridges, air traffic control centres,
passenger facilities such as restaurants and lounges, and emergency services. In some
countries, the US in particular, they also typically have one or more fixed-base operators,
serving general aviation. An airport solely serving helicopters is called a heliport. An
airport for use by seaplanes and amphibious aircraft is called a seaplane base. Such a base
typically includes a stretch of open water for takeoffs and landings, and seaplane docks for
tying-up.An international airport has additional facilities for customs and passport
control as well as incorporating all of the aforementioned elements.

An airport primarily for military use is called an airbase or air station . most of the
worlds airports are owned by local, regional, or national government bodies.
LANDSIDE AND AIRSIDE AREAS :

Airport are divided into landside and airside. Landside includes parking lots,
public transport railways stations and access roads. Airsidse includes all areas accessible
to aircraft, including runways, taxiways and ramps. passage between landside and airside
is tightly controlled at all airports. To access airside, one must go through passport control
and security, this applies to everyone, including staff.

Most major airports provide commercial outlets for products and services.
airport may also contain premium and vip services. The premium and vip services may
include express check-in and dedicated check-in counters. In addition to people, airports
move cargo around the clock. Many large airports are located near railway trunk routes.

AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL PRESENCE :

The majority of the world’s airports are non-towered, with no air traffic control
presence. Busy airports have air traffic control(ATC) system. All airports use a traffic
pattern to assure smooth traffic flow between departing and arriving aircraft.

There are a number of aids available to pilots, though not all airport are equipped
with them. Many airports have lighting that help guide planes using the runways and
taxiways at night or in rain, snow, or fog. In the U.S and Canada, the vast majority of
airports, large and small, will either have some form of automated airport weather station,
a human observer or a combination of the two .Air safety is an important concern in the
operation of an airport, and airports often have their own safety services.

TERMINOLOGY :

The terms aerodrome, airfield, and airstrip may also be used to refer to airports,
and the terms heliport, seaplane base, and STOL port refer to airports dedicated
exclusively to helicopters, seaplanes, or short take-off and landing aircraft.
 In colloquial use in certain environments, the terms airport and aerodrome are
often interchanged. However, in general, the term airport may imply or confer a certain
stature upon the aviation facility that other aerodromes may not have achieved. In some
jurisdictions, airport is a legal term of art reserved exclusively for
those aerodromes certified or licensed as airports by the relevant national aviation
authority after meeting specified certification criteria or regulatory requirements.
That is to say, all airports are aerodromes, but not all aerodromes are airports. In
jurisdictions where there is no legal distinction between aerodrome and airport, which
term to use in the name of an aerodrome may be a commercial decision. In United States
technical/legal usage, landing area is used instead of aerodrome, and airport means "a
landing area used regularly by aircraft for receiving or discharging passengers or cargo"

INFRASTRUCTURE :

Smaller or less-developed airfields, which represent the vast majority, often have a
single runway shorter than 1,000 m (3,300 ft). Larger airports for airlineflights generally
have paved runways of 2,000 m (6,600 ft) or longer. Many small airport have dirt, grass,
or gravel runways, rather than asphalt or concrete.
In the United States, the minimum dimensions for dry, hard landing fields are defined
by the FAR Landing And Takeoff Field Lengths. These include considerations for safety
margins during landing and takeoff. Heavier aircraft require longer runways.
The longest public-use runway in the world is at Qamdo Bamda Airport in China. It
has a length of 5,500 m (18,045 ft). The world's widest paved runway is at Ulyanovsk
Vostochny Airport in Russia and is 105 m (344 ft) wide.
As of 2009, the CIA stated that there were approximately 44,000 "... airports or
airfields recognizable from the air" around the world, including 15,095 in the US, the US
having the most in the world.

AIRPORT OWNERSHIP AND OPERATION :

Most of the world's large airports are owned by local, regional,

or national government bodies who then lease the airport to private corporations who
oversee the airport's operation. For example, in the United Kingdom the state-
owned British Airports Authority originally operated eight of the nation's major
commercial airports – it was subsequently privatized in the late 1980s, and following its
takeover by the Spanish Ferro vial consortium in 2006, has been further divested and
downsized to operating just five.
Germany's Frankfurt Airport is managed by the quasi-private firm Fraport. While in
India GMR Group operates, through joint ventures, Indira Gandhi International
Airport and Rajiv Gandhi International Airport. Bengaluru International Airport
and Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport are controlled by GVK Group. The rest of
India's airports are managed by the Airports Authority of India. In Pakistan nearly all
civilian airports are owned and operated by the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority except
for Sialkot International Airport which has the distinction of being the first privately
owned public airport in Pakistan and South Asia.
In the United States, commercial airports are generally operated directly by
government entities or government-created airport authorities (also known as port
authorities), such as the Los Angeles World Airports authority that oversees several
airports in the Greater Los Angeles area, including Los Angeles International Airport

In Canada, the federal authority, Transport Canada, divested itself of all but the
remotest airports in 1999/2000. Now most airports in Canada are owned and operated by
individual legal authorities or are municipally owned.

Many U.S. airports still lease part or all of their facilities to outside firms, who
operate functions such as retail management and parking. In the U.S., all commercial
airport runways are certified by the FAA under the Code of Federal Regulations Title 14
Part 139, "Certification of Commercial Service Airports but maintained by the local
airport under the regulatory authority of the FAA.
Despite the reluctance to privatize airports in the US (despite the FAA sponsoring a
privatization program since 1996), the government-owned, contractor-operated (GOCO)
arrangement is the standard for the operation of commercial airports in the rest of the
world.
.

PRODUCTS AND SERVICE :

Most major airports provide commercial outlets for products and services. Most of
these companies, many of which are internationally known brands, are located within the
departure areas. These include clothing boutiques and restaurants and Prices charged for
items sold at these outlets are generally higher than those outside the airport.
However, some airports now regulate costs to keep them comparable to "street
prices". This term is misleading as prices often match the manufacturers' suggested retail
price (MSRP) but are almost never discounted. Apart from major fast food chains, some
airport restaurants offer regional cuisine specialties for those in transit so that they may
sample local food or culture without leaving the airport.
Some airport structures include on-site hotels built within or attached to a terminal
building. Airport hotels have grown popular due to their convenience for transient
passengers and easy accessibility to the airport terminal. Many airport hotels also have
agreements with airlines to provide overnight lodging for displaced passengers.
Major airports in such countries as Russia and Japan offer miniature sleeping units
within the airport that are available for rent by the hour. The smallest type is the capsule
hotel popular in Japan. A slightly larger variety is known as a sleep box. An even larger
type is provided by the company YOTEL.

PREMIUM AND VIP SERVICES :

Airports may also contain premium and VIP services. The premium and VIP
services may include express check-in and dedicated check-in counters. These services are
usually reserved for First and Business class passengers, premium frequent flyers, and
members of the airline's clubs. Premium services may sometimes be open to passengers
who are members of a different airline's frequent flyer program. This can sometimes be
 part of a reciprocal deal, as when multiple airlines are part of the same alliance, or as a
ploy to attract premium customers away from rival airlines.

Sometimes these premium services will be offered to a non-premium passenger if the

airline has made a mistake in handling of the passenger, such as unreasonable delays or
mishandling of checked baggage.

Airline lounges frequently offer free or reduced cost food, as well as alcoholic and non-
alcoholic beverages. Lounges themselves typically have seating, showers, quiet areas,
televisions, computer, Wi-Fi and Internet access, and power outlets that passengers may
use for their electronic equipment. Some airline lounges employ baristas, bartenders and
gourmet chefs.

Airlines sometimes operate multiple lounges within the one airport terminal allowing
ultra-premium customers, such as first class customers, additional services, which are not
available to other premium customers. Multiple lounges may also prevent overcrowding
of the lounge facilities.

CARGO AND FREIGHT SERVICES :

In addition to people, airports move cargo around the clock. Cargo airlines often
have their own on-site and adjacent infrastructure to transfer parcels between ground and
air.Cargo Terminal Facilities are areas where international airports export cargo has to be
stored after customs clearance and prior to loading on the aircraft. Similarly import cargo
that is offloaded needs to be in bond before the consignee decides to take delivery. Areas
have to be kept aside for examination of export and import cargo by the airport authorities.
Designated areas or sheds may be given to airlines or freight forward ring agencies.
Every cargo terminal has a landside and an airside. The landside is where the
exporters and importers through either their agents or by themselves deliver or collect
shipments while the airside is where loads are moved to or from the aircraft. In addition
cargo terminals are divided into distinct areas – export, import and interline or
transshipment.

SURFACE FUNCTION :

There are three types of surface that aircraft operate on:

 Runways, for takeoff and landing

 Taxiways, where planes "taxi" (transfer to and from a runway)
 Apron or ramp: a surface where planes are parked, loaded, unloaded or refuelled

AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL :

Air traffic control (ATC) is the task of managing aircraft movements and
making sure they are safe, orderly and expeditious. At the largest airports, air traffic
control is a series of highly complex operations that requires managing frequent traffic
that moves in all three dimensions.
A "towered" or "controlled" airport has a control tower where the air traffic
controllers are based. Pilots are required to maintain two-way radio communication with
the controllers, and to acknowledge and comply with their instructions. A "non-towered"
airport has no operating control tower and therefore two-way radio communications are
not required, though it is good operating practice for pilots to transmit their intentions on
the airport's common traffic advisory frequency (CTAF) for the benefit of other aircraft in
the area. The CTAF may be a Universal Integrated Community (UNICOM),
MULTICOM, Flight Service Station (FSS), or tower frequency.
The majority of the world's airports are small facilities without a tower. Not all
towered airports have 24/7 ATC operations. In those cases, non-towered procedures apply
when the tower is not in use, such as at night. Non-towered airports come under area (en-
route) control. Remote and virtual tower (RVT) is a system in which ATC is handled by
controllers who are not present at the airport itself.
Air traffic control responsibilities at airports are usually divided into at least two
main areas: ground and tower, though a single controller may work both stations. The
busiest airports may subdivide responsibilities further, with clearance delivery, apron
control, and/or other specialized ATC stations.

Ground control is responsible for directing all ground traffic in designated

"movement areas", except the traffic on runways. This includes planes, baggage
trains, snowplows, grass cutters, fuel trucks, stair trucks, airline food trucks, conveyor belt
vehicles and other vehicles. Ground Control will instruct these vehicles on which taxiways
to use, which runway they will use (in the case of planes), where they will park, and when
it is safe to cross runways. When a plane is ready to takeoff it will be turned over
to TowerControl. Conversely, after a plane has landed it will depart the runway and be
"handed over" from Tower to Ground Control.

Tower control is responsible for aircraft on the runway and in the controlled
airspace immediately surrounding the airport. Tower controllers may use radar to locate an
aircraft's position in three-dimensional space, or they may rely on pilot position reports
and visual observation. They coordinate the sequencing of aircraft in the traffic pattern and
direct aircraft on how to safely join and leave the circuit. Aircraft which are only passing
through the airspace must also contact Tower Control in order to be sure that they remain
clear of other traffic.

TRAFFIC PATTERN :

At all airports the use of a traffic pattern (often called a traffic circuit outside the
U.S.) is possible. They may help to assure smooth traffic flow between departing and
arriving aircraft. There is no technical need within modern commercial aviation for
performing this pattern, provided there is no queue. And due to the so-called SLOT-times,
the overall traffic planning tend to assure landing queues are avoided. If for instance an
aircraft approaches runway 17 (which has a heading of approx. 170 degrees) from the
north (coming from 360/0 degrees heading towards 180 degrees), the aircraft will land as
fast as possible by just turning 10 degrees and follow the glidepath, without orbit the
runway for visual reasons, whenever this is possible. For smaller piston engined airplanes
at smaller airfields without ILS equipment, things are very different though.
Generally, this pattern is a circuit consisting of five "legs" that form a rectangle
(two legs and the runway form one side, with the remaining legs forming three more
sides). Each leg is named (see diagram), and ATC directs pilots on how to join and leave
the circuit. Traffic patterns are flown at one specific altitude, usually 800 or 1,000 ft (244
or 305 m) above ground level (AGL). Standard traffic patterns are left-handed, meaning
all turns are made to the left. One of the main reason for this is that pilots sit on the left
side of the airplane, and a Left-hand patterns improves their visibility of the airport and
pattern. Right-handed patterns do exist, usually because of obstacles such as a mountain,
or to reduce noise for local residents. The predetermined circuit helps traffic flow
smoothly because all pilots know what to expect, and helps reduce the chance of a mid-air
collision.

At controlled airports, a circuit can be in place but is not normally used.

Rather, aircraft (usually only commercial with long routes) request approach clearance
while they are still hours away from the airport; the destination airport can then plan a
queue of arrivals, and planes will be guided into one queue per active runway for a
"straight-in" approach. While this system keeps the airspace free and is simpler for pilots,
it requires detailed knowledge of how aircraft are planning to use the airport ahead of time
and is therefore only possible with large commercial airliners on pre-scheduled flights.
The system has recently become so advanced that controllers can predict whether an
aircraft will be delayed on landing before it even takes off; that aircraft can then be
delayed on the ground, rather than wasting expensive fuel waiting in the air.
NAVIGATIONAL AIDS :

There are a number of aids available to pilots, both visual and electronic,
though not all airports are equipped with them. A visual approach slope indicator (VASI)
helps pilots fly the approach for landing. Some airports are equipped with a VHF
omnidirectional range (VOR) to help pilots find the direction to the airport. VORs are
often accompanied by a distance measuring equipment (DME) to determine the distance
to the VOR. VORs are also located off airports, where they serve to provide airways for
aircraft to navigate upon. In poor weather, pilots will use an instrument landing
system (ILS) to find the runway and fly the correct approach, even if they cannot see the
ground. The number of instrument approaches based on the use of the Global Positioning
System (GPS) is rapidly increasing and may eventually become the primary means for
instrument landings.
Larger airports sometimes offer precision approach radar (PAR), but these
systems are more common at military air bases than civilian airports. The aircraft's
horizontal and vertical movement is tracked via radar, and the controller tells the pilot his
position relative to the approach slope. Once the pilots can see the runway lights, they may
continue with a visual landing.
TAXIWAY SIGNS :

Airport guidance signs provide direction and information to taxiing aircraft and airport
vehicles. Smaller aerodromes may have few or no signs, relying instead on diagrams and
charts.

LIGHTING :
 Many airports have lighting that help guide planes using the runways and taxiways
at night or in rain or fog.On runways, green lights indicate the beginning of the runway for
landing, while red lights indicate the end of the runway.
Runway edge lighting consists of white lights spaced out on both sides of the
runway, indicating the edge. Some airports have more complicated lighting on the
runways including lights that run down the centerline of the runway and lights that help
indicate the approach (an approach lighting system, or ALS). Low-traffic airports may
use pilot controlled lighting to save electricity and staffing costs.

Along taxiways, blue lights indicate the taxiway's edge, and some airports have
embedded green lights that indicate the centerline.

WEATHER OPBSERVATIONS :

Weather observations at the airport are crucial to safe takeoffs and landings. In
the US and Canada, the vast majority of airports, large and small, will either have some
form of automated airport weather station, whether an AWOS, ASOS, or AWSS, a human
observer or a combination of the two. These weather observations, predominantly in
the METAR format, are available over the radio, through automatic terminal information
service (ATIS), via the ATC or the flight service station.
Planes take-off and land into the wind in order to achieve maximum
performance. Because pilots need instantaneous information during landing,
a windsock can also be kept in view of the runway. Aviation windsocks are made with
lightweight material, withstand strong winds and some are lit up after dark or in foggy
weather. Because visibility of windsocks is limited, often multiple glow-orange windsocks
are placed on both sides of the runway .

AIRPORT GROUND CREW :

Most airports have ground crew handling the loading and unloading of passengers,
crew, baggage and other services . Some ground crew are linked to specific airlines
operating at the airport.
 Among the vehicles that serve an airliner on the ground are:

 A tow tractor to move the aircraft in and out of the berth.

 A jet bridge (in some airports) or stairs unit to allow passengers to embark and disembark.
 A ground power unit for supplying electricity. As the engines will be switched off, they
will not be generating electricity as they do in flight.
 A cleaning service.
 A catering service to deliver food and drinks for a flight.
 A toilet waste truck to empty the tank which holds the waste from the toilets in the
aircraft.
 A water truck to fill the water tanks of the aircraft.
 A refueling vehicle. The fuel may come from a tanker, or from underground fuel tanks.
 A conveyor belt unit for loading and unloading luggage.
 A vehicle to transport luggage to and from the terminal.

The length of time an aircraft remains on the ground in between consecutive flights is
known as "turnaround time". Airlines pay great attention to minimizing turnaround times
in an effort to keep aircraft utilization (flying time) high, with times scheduled as low as
25 minutes for jet aircraft operated by low-cost carriers on narrow-body aircraft.

SAFETY MANAGEMENT :

Air safety is an important concern in the operation of an airport, and almost every
airfield includes equipment and procedures for handling emergency situations. Airport
crash tender crews are equipped for dealing with airfield accidents, crew and passenger
extractions, and the hazards of highly flammable aviation fuel. The crews are also trained
to deal with situations such as bomb threats, hijacking, and terrorist activities.
Hazards to aircraft include debris, nesting birds, and reduced friction levels due to
environmental conditions such as ice, snow, or rain. Part of runway maintenance is airfield
rubber removal which helps maintain friction levels. The fields must be kept clear of
debris using cleaning equipment so that loose material does not become a projectile and
enter an engine duct (see foreign object damage). In adverse weather conditions, ice and
snow clearing equipment can be used to improve traction on the landing strip. For waiting
aircraft, equipment is used to spray special deicing fluids on the wings.
Many airports are built near open fields or wetlands. These tend to attract bird
populations, which can pose a hazard to aircraft in the form of bird strikes. Airport crews
often need to discourage birds from taking up residence.Some airports are located next to
parks, golf courses, or other low-density uses of land. Other airports are located near
densely populated urban or suburban areas.
An airport can have areas where collisions between aircraft on the ground tend
to occur. Records are kept of any incursions where aircraft or vehicles are in an
inappropriate location, allowing these "hot spots" to be identified. These locations then
undergo special attention by transportation authorities (such as the FAA in the US) and
airport administrators.
During the 1980s, a phenomenon known as microburst became a growing concern due
to aircraft accidents caused by microburst wind shear, such as Delta Air Lines Flight
191. Microburst radar was developed as an aid to safety during landing, giving two to five
minutes' warning to aircraft in the vicinity of the field of a microburst event.
Some airfields now have a special surface known as soft concrete at the end of
the runway (stopway or blastpad) that behaves somewhat like styrofoam, bringing the
plane to a relatively rapid halt as the material disintegrates. These surfaces are useful when
the runway is located next to a body of water or other hazard, and prevent the planes from
overrunning the end of the field.Airports often have on-site firefighters to respond to
emergencies. These use specialized vehicles, known as airport crash tenders.
 Airports Authority of India

The Airports Authority of India or AAI is a statutory body (created through the
Airports Authority of India Act, 1994) working under the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Government
of India is responsible for creating, upgrading, maintaining and managing civil aviation
infrastructure in India. It provides Communication Navigation Surveillance / Air Traffic
Management (CNS/ATM) services over Indian airspace and adjoining oceanic areas. It also
manages a total of 126 Airports, including 11 International Airports, 11 Customs Airports, 89
Domestic Airports and 26 Civil enclaves at Military Airfields. AAI also has ground installations at
all airports and 25 other locations to ensure safety of aircraft operations. AAI covers all major air-
routes over Indian landmass via 29 Radar installations at 11 locations along with 700VOR/DVOR
installations co-located with Distance Measuring Equipment (DME). 52 runways are provided
with Instrument landing system (ILS) installations with Night Landing Facilities at most of these
airports and Automatic Message Switching System at 15 Airports.

AAI's implementation of Automatic Dependence Surveillance System (ADSS), using

indigenous technology, at Kolkata and Chennai Air Traffic Control Centres, made India the first
country to use this technology in the South East Asian region thus enabling Air Traffic Control
over oceanic areas using satellite mode of communication. Performance Based Navigation (PBN)
procedures have already been implemented at Mumbai, Delhi and Ahmedabad Airports and are
likely to be implemented at other Airports in a phased manner.

AAI is implementing the GAGAN project in technological collaboration with the Indian
Space Research Organisation (ISRO), where the satellite based system will be used for navigation.
The navigation signals thus received from the GPS will be augmented to achieve the navigational
requirement of aircraft. First phase of technology demonstration system was completed in
February 2008.

AAI has four training establishments viz. The Civil Aviation Training College (CATC)
at Prayagraj and its extension at Hyderabad (CATC-HTC),National Institute of Aviation
Management and Research (NIAMAR) at Delhi and Fire Training Centres (FTC) at Delhi &
Kolkata. An Aerodrome Visual Simulator (AVS) has been provided at CATC and non-radar
procedural ATC simulator equipment is being supplied to CATC Allahabad and Hyderabad
Airport. AAI has a dedicated Flight Inspection Unit (FIU) with a fleet of three aircraft fitted with
flight inspection system to inspect Instrument Landing Systems up to Cat-III, VORs, DMEs,
NDBs, VGSI (PAPI, VASI) and RADAR (ASR/MSSR).
In addition to in-house flight calibration of its navigational aids, AAI undertakes flight
calibration of navigational aids for the Indian Air Force, Indian Navy, Indian Coast Guard and
other private airfields in the country.AAI has entered into Join Ventures
at Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Nagpur Airports to upgrade these airports.

HISTORY :

The Government of India constituted the International Airports Authority of India (IAAI) in
1972 to manage the nation's international airports while the National Airports Authority (NAA)
was constituted in 1986 to look after domestic airports.
The organisations were merged in April 1995 by an Act of Parliament, namely, the Airports
Authority of India Act, 1994 and has been constituted as a Statutory Body and was named as
Airports Authority of India (AAI). This new organisation was to be responsible for creating,
upgrading, maintaining and managing civil aviation infrastructure both on the ground and air space
in the country.
Airports Authority of India (AAI) was constituted by an Act of Parliament and came
into being on 1st April 1995 by merging erstwhile National Airports Authority and
International Airports Authority of India. The merger brought into existence a single
Organization entrusted with the responsibility of creating, upgrading, maintaining
and managing civil aviation infrastructure both on the ground and air space in the
country.

FUNCTIONS :

 Design, Development, Operation and Maintenance of international and domestic

airports and civil enclaves.
 Control and Management of the Indian airspace extending beyond the territorial limits
of the country, as accepted by ICAO.
 Construction, Modification and Management of passenger terminals.
 Development and Management of cargo terminals at international and domestic
airports.
 Provision of passenger facilities and information system at the passenger terminals at
airports.
 Expansion and strengthening of operation area, viz. Runways, Aprons, Taxiway etc.
 Provision of visual aids.
 Provision of Communication and Navigation aids, viz. ILS, DVOR, DME, Radar etc.

PASSENGER FACILITIES :

The main functions of AAI inter-alia include construction, modification & management of
passenger terminals, development & management of cargo terminals, development &
maintenance of apron infrastructure including runways, parallel taxiways, apron etc.,

Provision of Communication, Navigation and Surveillance which includes provision of

DVOR / DME, ILS, ATC radars, visual aids etc., provision of air traffic services, provision of
passenger facilities and related amenities at its terminals thereby ensuring safe and secure
operations of aircraft, passenger and cargo in the country.
AIR NAVIGATION SERVICES :

In tune with global approach to modernization of Air Navigation infrastructure for

seamless navigation across state and regional boundaries, AAI has been going ahead with its
plans for transition to satellite based Communication, Navigation, Surveillance and Air Traffic
Management. A number of co-operation agreements and memoranda of co-operation have been
signed with US Federal Aviation Administration, US Trade & Development Agency, European
Union, Air Services Australia and the French Government Co-operative Projects and Studies
initiated to gain from their experience. Through these activities more and more executives of AAI
are being exposed to the latest technology, modern practices & procedures being adopted to
improve the overall performance of Airports and Air Navigation Services.

Induction of latest state-of-the-art equipment, both as replacement and old equipments

and also as new facilities to improve standards of safety of airports in the air is a continuous
process. Adoptions of new and improved procedure go hand in hand with induction of new
equipment. Some of the major initiatives in this direction are introduction of Reduced Vertical
Separation Minima (RVSM) in India air space to increase airspace capacity and reduce congestion
in the air; implementation of GPS And Geo Augmented Navigation (GAGAN) jointly with ISRO
which when put to operation would be one of the four such systems in the world.

SECURITY :

The continuing security environment has brought into focus the need for strengthening
security of vital installations. There was thus an urgent need to revamp the security at airports
not only to thwart any misadventure but also to restore confidence of traveling public in the
security of air travel as a whole, which was shaken after 9/11 tragedy. With this in view, a
number of steps were taken including deployment of CISF for airport security, CCTV surveillance
system at sensitive airports, latest and state-of-the-art X-ray baggage inspection systems,
premier security & surveillance systems. Smart Cards for access control to vital installations at
airports are also being considered to supplement the efforts of security personnel at sensitive
airports.

AERODROME FACILITIES :

In Airports Authority of India, the basic approach to planning of airport facilities has been
adopted to create capacity ahead of demand in our efforts. Towards implementation of this
strategy, a number of projects for extension and strengthening of runway, taxi track and aprons at
different airports has been taken up. Extension of runway to 7500 ft. has been taken up to support
operation for Airbus-320/Boeing 737-800 category of aircrafts at all airports.

HRD TRAINING :

A large pool of trained and highly skilled manpower is one of the major assets of Airports
Authority of India. Development and Technological enhancements and consequent refinement of
operating standards and procedures, new standards of safety and security and improvements in
management techniques call for continuing training to update the knowledge and skill of officers
and staff. For this purpose AAI has a number of training establishments, viz. NIAMAR in Delhi,
CATC in Allahabad, Fire Training Centres at Delhi & Kolkata for in-house training of its
engineers, Air Traffic Controllers, Rescue & Fire Fighting personnel etc. NIAMAR & CATC are
members of ICAO TRAINER programme under which they share Standard Training Packages
(STP) from a central pool for imparting training on various subjects. Both CATC & NIAMAR
have also contributed a number of STPs to the Central pool under ICAO TRAINER programme.
Foreign students have also been participating in the training programme being conducted by these
institution

IT IMPLEMENTATION :

Information Technology holds the key to operational and managerial efficiency, transparency and
employee productivity. AAI initiated a programme to indoctrinate IT culture among its employees
and this is most powerful tool to enhance efficiency in the organization. AAI website is a popular
website giving a host of information about the organization besides domestic and international
flight information of interest to the public in general and passengers in particular.

REVENUE

Most of AAI’s revenue is generated from landing / parking fees and fees collected by providing
CNS & ATC services to aircraft over the Indian Air Space.

PRIVATISATION OF AIRPORTS

The AAI was involved in tussle with the Ministry of Civil Aviation over the issue of privatisation
of its to most profitable airport at Delhi and Mumbai. The Government of India handed over these
two Airports to private companies for the purpose of modernization in 2006 under Revenue
sharing agreement to the GMR groups and GVK group respectively. The Nagpur Airport was
transferred to the Maharashtra State owned MADC.

In addition to this, several green field airports of being operated by private consortiums, namely,
Cochin International Airport, Bengaluru International Airport, Kazi Nazrul Islam Airport at
Durgapur in West Bengal, and Rajiv Gandhi International Airport at Hyderabad.

INTERNATIONAL PROJECTS

The AAI has been involved in various consultancy projects with Libya, Algeria, Yemen,
Maldives, Nauru and Afghanistan. The AAI also provides trained personnel for operation,
maintenance and management of Airports in this country.

COIMBATORE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

Airport type Public

Owner Government of India
Operator Airport Authority of India
Services Coimbatore Metropolitan Area
Locationa Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu
Elevation AMSL 1, 311 ft / 400 m
Co-ordinates 11o 01’36”NO77002’30”E
Website www.Airportindia.Org.In

RUNWAYS

Direction Length Surface

05/23 9760 ft/2990 m Asphalt

ABOUT:

Coimbatore International Airport (IATA: CJB, ICAO: VOCB) is the primary airport
serving the city of Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu. It is located at Peelamedu, about 12 km (7.5 mi)
from the center of the city. It is the 18th busiest airport in India for passengers handled, 18th
busiest for total aircraft movement and 15th busiest for cargo handled. The airport is the second
largest airport in the state for runway length, aircraft movement, passenger traffic and cargo
after Chennai International Airport in Tamil Nadu.

Coimbatore International Airport

 IATA: CJB
 ICAO: VOCB

HISTORY :

The airport commenced operations in 1940 as a civil aerodrome with Indian

Airlines operating Fokker F27, Douglas DC-3 and later Hawker Siddeley HS 748
aircraft. Beginning with services to Chennai and Bangalore, other destinations like Cochin and
Mumbai were added later. The airport was modernized with an extended runway to accommodate
larger aircraft like the Boeing 737 and was reopened in 1987. The Sulur Air Force Base located
further east of Coimbatore was temporarily used for civil aviation during this period. As of 2017,
the airport is served by six domestic and two international carriers.
The Prime Minister of India declared the government intention to upgrade Coimbatore
Airport to International status in a meeting with senior ministers on 6 June 2012 and the Union
Cabinet granted it the status of international airport on 2 October 2012.

INFRASTRUCTURE :

The airport has one runway that is 9,760 ft (2,970 m) in length extended from
8,500 ft (2,600 m) to accommodate larger aircraft. In 2008, the airport was expanded
at a cost of ₹780 million(US$11 million) with aero bridges, parking bays
and Instrument Landing System (ILS). In 2010, new domestic and international
divisions were added to the already existing common terminal.
The airport has a parking management system with a capacity to accommodate
nearly 300 cars. There are two hangars in the airport; one provides housing for the
planes of Coimbatore Flying Club, the other provides shelter for private carriers.

CONNECTIVITY :

The airport is located on Avinashi Road about 10 km (6.2 mi) from the central bus station.
Frequent bus services are available from Gandhipuram central bus station and also from other
auxiliary bus stations at Singanallur and Ukkadam. The airport is 11 km (6.8 mi) from the major
railway station, Coimbatore Junction and the nearest rail stations are at Singanallur
and Peelamedu. Cab services, call taxis and auto rickshaws provide 24 hours commuting services
to the airport.

PROPOSED EXPANSION :

The further proposed expansion of the airport includes extension of runway to 12,500 ft
(3,800 m) to accommodate larger aircraft such as the Boeing 787 and construction of a parallel
taxiway to the runway to minimize runway occupancy time and turnaround time of aircraft.
Construction of two additional parking bays and two new aerobridges are presently underway.

AIRLINES AND DESTINATIONS :

Airlines Destination
Air Arabia Sharjah
Air india Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai
Air India Express Delhi, Singapore
Alliance Air Chennai
Indigo Agartala, Ahmedabad, Amristar, Bengaluru,
Bhubaneswar, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kochi,
Kolkata, Mumbai, Surat, Visakhapatnam
Silk Air Singapore
Spicejet Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata,
Mumbai
Srilankan Airlines Colombo

CARGO :

Airlines Destination
Blue dart Chennai, Delhi
 CHAPTER 2

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
INTRODUCTION

This chapter includes the research methodology adopted for the study of “Air traffic Management
and Communication, Navigation and Surveillance Systems at Coimbatore International Airport”.
The methodology consists of objectives of the study, data collection, research design (that includes
the case study), scope of study, limitations and chapterisation.

OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

 To gain knowledge about Air traffic management systems and equipments used.
 To gain indepth knowledge about the communication, navigation and surveillance systems
and equipments
 To know about air traffic management systems and procedures according to Airport
Authority of India

SAMPLING

Coimbatore International Airport was selected purposively as the training programme was
allotted at the Airport.

DATA COLLECTION

The primary data required for the project work collected while undergoing the training at
Coimbatore International Airport through observation, lectures given and through interviews
with various department staffs.

Secondary data was collected from the websites of Airport Authority of India, book on the
similar topics and from other online sources.

LIMITATIONS

 Highly restricted area

 The employees of the airport were very busy with scheduled work and the real time to
share their information and experience
 The study time was limited to
 The current air traffic control tower height is lower and the visibility is less because of
the new construction happening.
 Access to the air traffic control tower is narrow and unsafe
 CHAPTER 3
AIR TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT
AIR TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT

Air Traffic Management is a term encompassing all system that assists air craft to depart from an
aerodrome, transit air space and land at a destination aerodrome, including air traffic control
(ATC), air traffic safety electronic personnel (ATSEP), aeronautical meterology, air navigation
system, air space management (ASM), air traffic services (ATS), and air traffic flow and capacity
management (ATFCM).

Air traffic control tower

Air traffic control (ATC) is a service provided by ground-based air traffic controllers who
direct aircraft on the ground and through controlled airspace, and can provide advisory services to
aircraft in non-controlled airspace. The primary purpose of ATC worldwide is to prevent
collisions, organize and expedite the flow of air traffic, and provide information and other support
for pilots.[1] In some countries, ATC plays a security or defensive role, or is operated by the
military.

To prevent collisions, ATC enforces traffic separation rules, which ensure each aircraft maintains a
minimum amount of empty space around it at all times. Many aircraft also have collision
avoidance systems, which provide additional safety by warning pilots when other aircraft get too
close.

In many countries, ATC provides services to all private, military, and commercial aircraft
operating within its airspace. Depending on the type of flight and the class of airspace, ATC may
issue instructions that pilots are required to obey, or advisories(known as flight information in
some countries) that pilots may, at their discretion, disregard. The pilot in command is the final
authority for the safe operation of the aircraft and may, in an emergency, deviate from ATC
instructions to the extent required to maintain safe operation of their aircraft.

The primary method of controlling the immediate airport environment is visual observation from
the airport control tower. The tower is a tall, windowed structure located on the airport
grounds. Air traffic controllers are responsible for the separation and efficient movement of
aircraft and vehicles operating on the taxiways and runways of the airport itself, and aircraft in the
air near the airport, generally 5 to 10 nautical miles (9 to 18 km) depending on the airport
procedures.

Surveillance displays are also available to controllers at larger airports to assist with controlling air
traffic. Controllers may use a radar system called secondary surveillance radar for airborne traffic
approaching and departing. These displays include a map of the area, the position of various
aircraft, and data tags that include aircraft identification, speed, altitude, and other information
described in local procedures. In adverse weather conditions the tower controllers may also use
surface movement radar (SMR), surface movement guidance and control systems (SMGCS) or
advanced SMGCS to control traffic on the manoeuvring area (taxiways and runway).

The areas of responsibility for tower controllers fall into three general operational disciplines: local
control or air control, ground control, and flight data / clearance delivery—other categories, such
as Apron control or ground movement planner, may exist at extremely busy airports. While each
tower may have unique airport-specific procedures, such as multiple teams of controllers ('crews')
at major or complex airports with multiple runways, the following provides a general concept of
the delegation of responsibilities within the tower environment.Remote and virtual tower (RVT) is
a system based on air traffic controllers being located somewhere other than at the local airport
tower and still able to provide air traffic control services. Displays for the air traffic controllers
may be live video, synthetic images based on surveillance sensor data, or both.

GROUND CONTROL :

Ground control (sometimes known as ground movement control) is responsible for the airport
"movement" areas, as well as areas not released to the airlines or other users. This generally
includes all taxiways, inactive runways, holding areas, and some transitional aprons or
intersections where aircraft arrive, having vacated the runway or departure gate. Exact areas and
control responsibilities are clearly defined in local documents and agreements at each airport. Any
aircraft, vehicle, or person walking or working in these areas is required to have clearance from
ground control. This is normally done via VHF/UHF radio, but there may be special cases where
other procedures are used. Aircraft or vehicles without radios must respond to ATC instructions
via aviation light signals or else be led by vehicles with radios. People working on the airport
surface normally have a communications link through which they can communicate with ground
control, commonly either by handheld radio or even cell phone. Ground control is vital to the
smooth operation of the airport, because this position impacts the sequencing of departure aircraft,
affecting the safety and efficiency of the airport's operation.

Some busier airports have surface movement radar (SMR), such as, ASDE-3, AMASS or ASDE-
X, designed to display aircraft and vehicles on the ground. These are used by ground control as an
additional tool to control ground traffic, particularly at night or in poor visibility. There are a wide
range of capabilities on these systems as they are being modernized. Older systems will display a
map of the airport and the target. Newer systems include the capability to display higher quality
mapping, radar target, data blocks, and safety alerts, and to interface with other systems such as
digital flight strips.

AIR CONTROL OR LOCAL CONTROL :

Air control (known to pilots as "tower" or "tower control") is responsible for the active runway
surfaces. Air control clears aircraft for takeoff or landing, ensuring that prescribed runway
separation will exist at all times. If the air controller detects any unsafe conditions, a landing
aircraft may be instructed to "go-around" and be re-sequenced into the landing pattern. This re-
sequencing will depend on the type of flight and may be handled by the air controller, approach or
terminal area controller.

Within the tower, a highly disciplined communications process between air control and ground
control is an absolute necessity. Air control must ensure that ground control is aware of any
operations that will impact the taxiways, and work with the approach radar controllers to create
"gaps" in the arrival traffic to allow taxiing traffic to cross runways and to allow departing aircraft
to take off. Ground control need to keep the air controllers aware of the traffic flow towards their
runways in order to maximise runway utilisation through effective approach spacing. Crew
resource management (CRM) procedures are often used to ensure this communication process is
efficient and clear. Within ATC, it is usually known as TRM (Team Resource Management) and
the level of focus on TRM varies within different ATC organisations.
FLIGHT DATA AND CLEARANCE DELIVERY :

Clearance delivery is the position that issues route clearances to aircraft, typically before they
commence taxiing. These clearances contain details of the route that the aircraft is expected to fly
after departure. Clearance delivery or, at busy airports, Ground Movement Planner (GMP) or
Traffic Management Coordinator (TMC) will, if necessary, coordinate with the relevant radar
centre or flow control unit to obtain releases for aircraft. At busy airports, these releases are often
automatic and are controlled by local agreements allowing "free-flow" departures. When weather
or extremely high demand for a certain airport or airspace becomes a factor, there may be ground
"stops" (or "slot delays") or re-routes may be necessary to ensure the system does not get
overloaded. The primary responsibility of clearance delivery is to ensure that the aircraft have the
correct aerodrome information, such as weather and airport conditions, the correct route after
departure and time restrictions relating to that flight. This information is also coordinated with the
relevant radar centre or flow control unit and ground control in order to ensure that the aircraft
reaches the runway in time to meet the time restriction provided by the relevant unit. At some
airports, clearance delivery also plans aircraft push-backs and engine starts, in which case it is
known as the Ground Movement Planner (GMP): this position is particularly important at heavily
congested airports to prevent taxiway and apron gridlock.

Flight data (which is routinely combined with clearance delivery) is the position that is responsible
for ensuring that both controllers and pilots have the most current information: pertinent weather
changes, outages, airport ground delays/ground stops, runway closures, etc. Flight data may
inform the pilots using a recorded continuous loop on a specific frequency known as the automatic
terminal information service (ATIS).
APPROACH AND TERMINAL CONTROL :

Many airports have a radar control facility that is associated with the airport. In most countries,
this is referred to as terminal control; in the U.S., it is referred to as a TRACON (terminal radar
approach control). While every airport varies, terminal controllers usually handle traffic in a 30-to-
50-nautical-mile (56 to 93 km) radius from the airport. Where there are many busy airports close
together, one consolidated terminal control center may service all the airports. The airspace
boundaries and altitudes assigned to a terminal control center, which vary widely from airport to
airport, are based on factors such as traffic flows, neighboring airports and terrain. A large and
complex example was the London Terminal Control Centre, which controlled traffic for five main
London airports up to 20,000 feet (6,100 m) and out to 100 nautical miles (190 km).

Terminal controllers are responsible for providing all ATC services within their airspace.
Traffic flow is broadly divided into departures, arrivals, and overflights. As aircraft move in and
out of the terminal airspace, they are handed off to the next appropriate control facility (a control
tower, an en-route control facility, or a bordering terminal or approach control). Terminal control
is responsible for ensuring that aircraft are at an appropriate altitude when they are handed off, and
that aircraft arrive at a suitable rate for landing.

Not all airports have a radar approach or terminal control available. In this case, the en-route
center or a neighboring terminal or approach control may co-ordinate directly with the tower on
the airport and vector inbound aircraft to a position from where they can land visually. At some of
these airports, the tower may provide a non-radar procedural approach service to arriving aircraft
handed over from a radar unit before they are visual to land. Some units also have a dedicated
approach unit which can provide the procedural approach service either all the time or for any
periods of radar outage for any reason.
In the U.S., TRACONs are additionally designated by a three-digit alphanumeric code. For
example, the Chicago TRACON is designated C90.

EN ROUTE, CENTER OR AREA CONTROL :

ATC provides services to aircraft in flight between airports as well. Pilots fly under one of
two sets of rules for separation: visual flight rules (VFR) or instrument flight rules(IFR). Air traffic
controllers have different responsibilities to aircraft operating under the different sets of rules.
While IFR flights are under positive control, in the US VFR pilots can request flight following,
which provides traffic advisory services on a time permitting basis and may also provide
assistance in avoiding areas of weather and flight restrictions. Across Europe, pilots may request
for a "Flight Information Service", which is similar to flight following. In the UK it is known as a
"traffic service".

En-route air traffic controllers issue clearances and instructions for airborne aircraft, and
pilots are required to comply with these instructions. En-route controllers also provide air traffic
control services to many smaller airports around the country, including clearance off of the ground
and clearance for approach to an airport. Controllers adhere to a set of separation standards that
define the minimum distance allowed between aircraft. These distances vary depending on the
equipment and procedures used in providing ATC services.
RADAR COVERAGE :

Since centers control a large airspace area, they will typically use long range radar that has
the capability, at higher altitudes, to see aircraft within 200 nautical miles (370 km) of the radar
antenna. They may also use TRACON radar data to control when it provides a better "picture" of
the traffic or when it can fill in a portion of the area not covered by the long range radar.

In the U.S. system, at higher altitudes, over 90% of the U.S. airspace is covered by radar and
often by multiple radar systems; however, coverage may be inconsistent at lower altitudes used by
unpressurized aircraft due to high terrain or distance from radar facilities. A center may require
numerous radar systems to cover the airspace assigned to them, and may also rely on pilot position
reports from aircraft flying below the floor of radar coverage. This results in a large amount of
data being available to the controller. To address this, automation systems have been designed that
consolidate the radar data for the controller. This consolidation includes eliminating duplicate
radar returns, ensuring the best radar for each geographical area is providing the data, and
displaying the data in an effective format.
Unmanned radar on a remote mountain

Centers also exercise control over traffic travelling over the world's ocean areas. These
areas are also flight information regions (FIRs). Because there are no radar systems available for
oceanic control, oceanic controllers provide ATC services using procedural control. These
procedures use aircraft position reports, time, altitude, distance, and speed to ensure separation.
Controllers record information on flight progress strips and in specially developed oceanic
computer systems as aircraft report positions. This process requires that aircraft be separated by
greater distances, which reduces the overall capacity for any given route. See for example
the North Atlantic Track system.

Some air navigation service providers (e.g., Airservices Australia, the U.S. Federal Aviation
Administration, Nav Canada, etc.) have implemented automatic dependent surveillance –
broadcast (ADS-B) as part of their surveillance capability. This new technology reverses the radar
concept. Instead of radar "finding" a target by interrogating the transponder, the ADS-equipped
aircraft sends a position report as determined by the navigation equipment on board the aircraft.
Normally, ADS operates in the "contract" mode where the aircraft reports a position, automatically
or initiated by the pilot, based on a predetermined time interval. It is also possible for controllers to
request more frequent reports to more quickly establish aircraft position for specific reasons.
However, since the cost for each report is charged by the ADS service providers to the company
operating the aircraft, more frequent reports are not commonly requested except in emergency
situations. ADS is significant because it can be used where it is not possible to locate the
infrastructure for a radar system (e.g., over water). Computerized radar displays are now being
designed to accept ADS inputs as part of the display. This technology is currently used in portions
of the North Atlantic and the Pacific by a variety of states who share responsibility for the control
of this airspace.

Precision approach radars (PAR) are commonly used by military controllers of air forces of
several countries, to assist the pilot in final phases of landing in places where instrument landing
system and other sophisticated airborne equipment are unavailable to assist the pilots in marginal
or near zero visibility conditions. This procedure is also called talkdowns.

A radar archive system (RAS) keeps an electronic record of all radar information, preserving it for
a few weeks. This information can be useful for search and rescue. When an aircraft has
'disappeared' from radar screens, a controller can review the last radar returns from the aircraft to
determine its likely position. For example, see this crash report.[6] RAS is also useful to technicians
who are maintaining radar systems.

WEATHER :

Beyond runway capacity issues, the weather is a major factor in traffic capacity. Rain, ice,
snow or hail on the runway cause landing aircraft to take longer to slow and exit, thus
reducing the safe arrival rate and requiring more space between landing aircraft. Fog also
requires a decrease in the landing rate. These, in turn, increase airborne delay for holding
aircraft. If more aircraft are scheduled than can be safely and efficiently held in the air, a
ground delay program may be established, delaying aircraft on the ground before departure
due to conditions at the arrival airport.

In Area Control Centers, a major weather problem is thunderstorms, which present a variety of
hazards to aircraft. Aircraft will deviate around storms, reducing the capacity of the en-route
system by requiring more space per aircraft or causing congestion as many aircraft try to move
through a single hole in a line of thunderstorms. Occasionally weather considerations cause
delays to aircraft prior to their departure as routes are closed by thunderstorms.

Much money has been spent on creating software to streamline this process. However, at some
ACCs, air traffic controllers still record data for each flight on strips of paper and personally
coordinate their paths. In newer sites, these flight progress strips have been replaced by
electronic data presented on computer screens. As new equipment is brought in, more and
more sites are upgrading away from paper flight strips.

CALLSIGNS :

A prerequisite to safe air traffic separation is the assignment and use of distinctive call signs.
These are permanently allocated by ICAO on request usually to scheduled flights and some air
forces and other military services for military flights. There are written callsigns with a 3-
letter combination like KLM, BAW, VLG followed by the flight number, like AAL872,
VLG1011. As such they appear on flight plans and ATC radar labels. There are also
the audio or Radiotelephony callsigns used on the radio contact between pilots and air traffic
control. These are not always identical to their written counterparts. An example of an audio
callsign would be "Speedbird 832", instead of the written "BAW832". This is used to reduce
the chance of confusion between ATC and the aircraft. By default, the callsign for any other
flight is the registration number (tail number) of the aircraft, such as "N12345", "C-GABC" or
"EC-IZD". The short Radiotelephony callsigns for these tail numbers is the last 3 letters using
the NATO phonetic alphabet (i.e. ABC spoken alpha-bravo-charlie for C-GABC) or the last 3
numbers (i.e. three-four-five for N12345). In the United States, the prefix may be an aircraft
type, model or manufacturer in place of the first registration character, for example, "N11842"
could become "Cessna 842". This abbreviation is only allowed after communications have
been established in each sector.

Before around 1980 International Air Transport Association (IATA) and ICAO were using the
same 2-letter callsigns. Due to the larger number of new airlines after
deregulation, ICAO established the 3-letter callsigns as mentioned above. The IATAcallsigns
are currently used in aerodromes on the announcement tables but never used any longer in air
traffic control. For example, AA is the IATAcallsign for American Airlines – ATC equivalent
AAL. Other examples include LY/ELY for El l, DL/DAL for Delta Air Lines, VY/VLG
for Vueling Airlines, JL/JAL for Japan Airlines, NH/ANA for All Nippon Airways etc. Flight
numbers in regular commercial flights are designated by the aircraft operator and identical
callsign might be used for the same scheduled journey each day it is operated, even if the
departure time varies a little across different days of the week. The callsign of the return flight
often differs only by the final digit from the outbound flight. Generally, airline flight numbers
are even if eastbound, and odd if westbound. In order to reduce the possibility of two callsigns
on one frequency at any time sounding too similar, a number of airlines, particularly in
 Europe, have started using alphanumeric call signs that are not based on flight numbers (i.e.
DLH23LG, spoken as Lufthansa-two-three-lima-golf, to prevent confusion between incoming
DLH23 and outgoing DLH24 in the same frequency). Additionally, it is the right of the air
traffic controller to change the 'audio' callsign for the period the flight is in his sector if there
is a risk of confusion, usually choosing the tail number instead.

AIRPORT ACTIVITY LEVEL

Busy airports where delayed in departure of an air craft resulting from necessary flight
crew actions caused by a late or changed departure clearance are liable to have awkward
consequences, can assist safety by ensuring that their normal procedures include the availability,
on request, of a departure clearance sufficiently ahead of push back from or taxi of stand for it to
the input to the FMS and form the subject of a flight crew brief before the air craft moves. An
indicating minimum time to facilitate these would be 10 minutes. Normal procedures should also
preclude the issues of push back or taxi clearance unless a departure clearance has already been
issued.

Quieter airports may not apply such rigid normal procedures in respect of departure
clearances but ATC should still appreciate, and may due allowance for, the time which it may take
to set up and brief departure clearances which are issued or alter once an aircraft has begun push
back and / or has begun taxiing for take off.