It is the tallest tower in India
Aviation Minister, CM of Maharashtra inaugurate ATC tower in Mumbai
Almasalla Travel News – Last Saterday The new Air Traffic Control (ATC) tower at Mumbai airport was inaugurated by Prithviraj Chavan, Chief Minister (CM), Government of Maharashtra and Ajit Singh, Minister for Civil Aviation, Government of India, , as per a TOI report. The tallest ATC tower in the country at 83 metres and among the seven tallest in the world, it will be fully functional from next year. It has been designed by a Hong Kong firm.
Chavan said the airport would inaugurate its new terminal building by the end of the year. The new ATC tower, which stands off the Western Express Highway, is near the domestic terminal. Airport officials said the tower was not simply a showpiece of contemporary design but would also enable the airport to enhance flight capacity.
Aided by a network of parallel taxiways along the two runways, the tower is expected to help the ATC improve the separation between flights and cut down on the runway occupancy time of the aircraft.
The tower in use today is a notified obstruction on the secondary runway. With the new tower operational, Mumbai International Airport Pvt Ltd (MIAL) can demolish the old tower. Some international airlines, which do not land on the secondary runway because of the obstacle in close proximity, will be able to use the secondary runway.
The new tower has an area of 2,800 square metres. Officials said the tower will have electronic flight strips to enable the ATC to function with more efficiency. Officials said it would take a couple of months to get the tower functioning as equipment had to be installed and tested and staff trained. “After that operations will be conducted from both towers simultaneously till full efficiency of work is attained in the new tower,” an airport official said.
Airport officials said that it will be at least a year before the old tower can be demolished and the obstruction cleared from the secondary runway. "Firstly, all offices would be shifted from the old to the new tower. Only then will MIAL take a call on when to demolish it and what to do with the area," said an airport official. "In terms of ATC functions, the new tower is no different from the old one. It’s a new design and location but the functions and way of operating is the same," said a senior airport official.
Source : Travel Biz
