Latest news with #InstrumentLandingSystem
News18
12-06-2025
- General
- News18
This Pilot's Attempt To Win 'Blind Landing' Bet Killed 70 Passengers
Last Updated: On October 20, 1986, a domestic Aeroflot flight in the Soviet Union became the setting for one of the most senseless and shocking aviation tragedies in history As the tragic Ahmedabad – London Air India plane crash rekindles sorrow and raises new questions about aviation safety, the world is once again reminded of past flight disasters that remain etched in collective memory. Among them is a haunting incident from 1986, an accident not born out of mechanical failure or bad weather, but sheer human folly. On October 20, 1986, a domestic Aeroflot flight in the Soviet Union became the setting for one of the most senseless and shocking aviation tragedies in history. The cause? A reckless bet between two pilots in the cockpit. According to the official investigation, the captain of the flight, entrusted with the lives of 70 passengers, challenged his co-pilot to perform a 'blind landing" using only the aircraft's instrument systems, without any external visibility. To enforce the challenge, the captain ordered all cockpit windows to be covered, leaving the co-pilot to rely solely on the plane's Instrument Landing System (ILS), a technology not intended to substitute for trained visual coordination in unpredictable real-world conditions. What was initially treated as a daring experiment quickly spiraled into catastrophe. Unable to correctly align the aircraft for landing without any visual references, the co-pilot failed to reach the runway. The aircraft slammed into the ground short of its target, killing all 70 people on board. The crash sent shockwaves across the Soviet Union and the aviation world. It wasn't just an accident; it was a failure of judgment, professionalism, and protocol. Experts later emphasised that while ILS is a critical tool for safe landings, especially in low-visibility conditions, it cannot and should not replace comprehensive pilot training or override safety protocols. Blind landings, without proper systems and redundant visual cues, remain one of the riskiest maneuvers in aviation. What made the 1986 Aeroflot tragedy even more chilling was the cavalier attitude displayed by those in command. Instead of safeguarding lives, the cockpit became a site of arrogance and hubris. In the aftermath, multiple officials were held accountable, and the crash was seared into history as a grim reminder of what happens when recklessness takes the reins of responsibility. This incident remains one of the darkest chapters in Soviet aviation history, not merely because of the loss of lives, but because it was entirely avoidable. It stands as a cautionary tale, an enduring lesson that in aviation, as in life, overconfidence and negligence are a deadly mix. As investigations into the Ahmedabad plane crash continue, memories of past tragedies like this one resurface to urge vigilance, discipline, and respect for the grave responsibility carried by those who pilot aircraft across our skies. Get breaking news, in-depth analysis, and expert perspectives on everything from geopolitics to diplomacy and global trends. Stay informed with the latest world news only on News18. Download the News18 App to stay updated!
India Today
07-06-2025
- Business
- India Today
Delhi airport runway closure to affect 200 flights daily for three months
Delhi airport operator DIAL on Friday said 114 flights, accounting for 7.5 per cent of the total daily flights, will be cancelled for three months starting from June 15 due to the closure of a runway for upgradation upgradation works of the runway RW 10/28, that was postponed in May after congestion issues, will now be carried out from June 15 to September 15. The Instrument Landing System (ILS) will be upgraded to make the runway CAT III compliant, which will allow flight operations at low visibility conditions during the fog Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA), the country's largest and busiest airport, handles around 1,450 flight movements daily. It has four runways -- RW 09/27, RW 11R/29L, RW 11L/29R and RW 10/28 -- and two operational terminals -- T1 and T3. T2 is currently closed for maintenance works. Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) CEO Videh Kumar Jaipuriar on Friday said RW 10/28 is not going to be operational, effective June 15, for three months."...we want to upgrade that runway to mitigate any issues or problems that we were facing, especially during the fog season. So for RW 10/28, there are two upgrades that we are going to do," he said at a press conference to him, the average reduction in daily flights during the three-month period will be around 7.5 per cent, and passengers are being informed about the changes well in the (number of) flights which are going to be cancelled are about 114. If you look at it from the right perspective, we have got 1,450 operations (flight movements) in a day. Out of that, about 114 operations (flight movements) are going to be impacted, which is 7.5 per cent," he per DIAL, a total of 200 flights will be impacted -- 114 will be cancelled and the remaining 86 will be rescheduled from the peak to non-peak hours -- during the June 15-September 15 the runway will resume operations from September 15, the completion of the ILS upgrade will be done by November 27, just before the start of the fog season, Jaipuriar CEO emphasised that rescheduling and cancellation of flights are not going to have a major impact, especially since passengers are being informed in have been made to ensure a balanced approach to maintain operational stability and minimise disruptions during the closure of RW 28/10, he the backdrop of certain earlier instances of airlines and the airport operator having differences amid congestion woes, DIAL on Friday stressed that the slot adjustment process was carried out through close coordination among all the of various airlines were also present at the press the RW 10/28 upgradation was planned in April-May this year, and was closed for ILS upgradation on April 8. However, the closure of the runway, easterly winds and congestion impacted flight view of the same, the civil aviation ministry directed resumption of operations from RW 10/28 and postponement of runway works from June 15 to September 15. The revised upgradation schedule was also agreed to by the airlines, DIAL is majority owned by GMR Reel IN THIS STORY#Delhi
NDTV
07-06-2025
- Business
- NDTV
Delhi Airport To Cancel 114 Daily Flights For 3 Months Due To Runway Upgrade
New Delhi: Delhi airport operator DIAL on Friday said 114 flights, accounting for 7.5 per cent of the total daily flights, will be cancelled for three months starting from June 15 due to the closure of a runway for upgradation works. The upgradation works of the runway RW 10/28, that was postponed in May after congestion issues, will now be carried out from June 15 to September 15. The Instrument Landing System (ILS) will be upgraded to make the runway CAT III compliant, which will allow flight operations at low visibility conditions during the fog season. The Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA), the country's largest and busiest airport, handles around 1,450 flight movements daily. It has four runways -- RW 09/27, RW 11R/29L, RW 11L/29R and RW 10/28 -- and two operational terminals -- T1 and T3. T2 is currently closed for maintenance works. Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) CEO Videh Kumar Jaipuriar on Friday said RW 10/28 is not going to be operational, effective June 15, for three months. "...we want to upgrade that runway to mitigate any issues or problems that we were facing, especially during the fog season. So for RW 10/28, there are two upgrades that we are going to do," he said at a press conference here. According to him, the average reduction in daily flights during the three-month period will be around 7.5 per cent, and passengers are being informed about the changes well in advance. "So, the (number of) flights which are going to be cancelled are about 114. If you look at it from the right perspective, we have got 1,450 operations (flight movements) in a day. Out of that, about 114 operations (flight movements) are going to be impacted, which is 7.5 per cent," he said. As per DIAL, a total of 200 flights will be impacted -- 114 will be cancelled and the remaining 86 will be rescheduled from the peak to non-peak hours -- during the June 15-September 15 period. While the runway will resume operations from September 15, the completion of the ILS upgrade will be done by November 27, just before the start of the fog season, Jaipuriar said. DIAL CEO emphasised that rescheduling and cancellation of flights are not going to have a major impact, especially since passengers are being informed in advance. Efforts have been made to ensure a balanced approach to maintain operational stability and minimise disruptions during the closure of RW 28/10, he added. Against the backdrop of certain earlier instances of airlines and the airport operator having differences amid congestion woes, DIAL on Friday stressed that the slot adjustment process was carried out through close coordination among all the stakeholders. Representatives of various airlines were also present at the press conference. Earlier, the RW 10/28 upgradation was planned in April-May this year, and was closed for ILS upgradation on April 8. However, the closure of the runway, easterly winds and congestion impacted flight operations. In view of the same, the civil aviation ministry directed resumption of operations from RW 10/28 and postponement of runway works from June 15 to September 15. The revised upgradation schedule was also agreed to by the airlines, DIAL said. DIAL is majority owned by GMR Airports.
Economic Times
06-06-2025
- Business
- Economic Times
100 flights to be cancelled at Delhi Airport for runway closure
Around 100 flights will be cancelled daily at Delhi Airport from 15 June as the airport will shut one of its runways for 28/10 of the Capital's IGI Airport needs to be shut for its landing instruments to be upgraded. The first attempt to do this in April had to be aborted within four weeks after flight schedules descended into chaos, with the airport unable to handle its typical load of roughly 1,400 flights a day on three of its airport will upgrade the runway's Instrument Landing System (ILS) to CAT III B standards—an enhancement aimed at enabling operations during low-visibility conditions common in Delhi's foggy winters. The runway's lighting system also needed to be extended from 650 to 900 is India's busiest airport with around 1,450 aircraft movements impact on airfare will be limited, airline executives said as the period of mid-June has been chosen after extensive consultation due to this being a lean season due to monsoon. 'The Delhi airport handles 1,450 aircraft movements per day. Out of these, 114 daily movements will be cancelled during the runway upgrade,' Videh Kumar Jaipuriar, CEO of Delhi Airport said on Friday.'The number of cancellations will be in the range of 7-7.5 per cent, compared to the usual 3-4 per cent on a normal this time we have coordinated with airlines in advance and rescheduled flights accordingly, which will help reduce any cascading impact,' he is important to upgrade the ILS as during the fog season, the arrival capacity of all runways comes as arriving aircraft have to be spaced out/ In case of westerly winds, arrivals drop from 42 per hour to 30 per hour during CAT III-B operations. But with easterly winds, arrivals currently fall sharply from 42 per hour to just 15 per hour. Once the upgrade is complete, that number will go up to 30 even with easterly winds, significantly improving efficiency. DIAL to rework slot allocations and align with the revised arrival capacity. ' The process is meticulously done and lot of support has been given from regulators side and we believe the departure will be much less,' said Debashish Saha, vice president and delegated accountable manager, SpiceJet 'The objective was to ensure optimum use of available runway capacity while maintaining on-time performance,' he added.
Mint
06-06-2025
- Business
- Mint
Delhi airport's runway upgradation to hit airlines, 114 daily flights to be cancelled for 3 months
With the closure of a runway for upgradation works, the Delhi airport operator DIAL on Friday said 114 flights, accounting for 7.5 per cent of the total daily flights, will be cancelled for three months starting from 15 June, reported PTI. According to the report, which quoted the DIAL, the upgradation works of the runway RW 10/28 will be carried out from 15 June to 15 September. It was postponed in May after congestion issues. The report further mentioned that under the upgradation work, the Instrument Landing System (ILS) will be upgraded to make the runway CAT III compliant, allowing flight operations at low visibility conditions during the fog season. On a daily basis, the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA), the country's largest and busiest airport, handles around 1,450 flight movements. It has four runways – RW 09/27, RW 11R/29L, RW 11L/29R and RW 10/28 -- and two operational terminals – T1 and T3. T2 is currently closed for maintenance works. Confirming the report, DIAL CEO Videh Kumar Jaipuriar on Friday said RW 10/28 is not going to be operational, effective June 15, for three months. '...we want to upgrade that runway to mitigate any issues or problems that we were facing, especially during the fog season. So for RW 10/28, there are two upgrades that we are going to do.' He added, "So, the (number of) flights which are going to be cancelled are about 114. If you look at it from the right perspective, we have got 1,450 operations (flight movements) in a day. Out of that, about 114 operations (flight movements) are going to be impacted, which is 7.5 per cent." DIAL said that a total of 200 flights will be impacted during the June 15-September 15 period —114 will be cancelled, and the remaining 86 will be rescheduled from the peak to non-peak hours. It added that though the runway will resume operations on 15 September, the ILS upgrade will be completed by 27 November. In the meantime, Videh Kumar Jaipuriar said that DIAL have made efforts to ensure minimise disruptions during the closure of RW 28/10. The RW 10/28 upgradation was planned in April-May 2025, and was closed for ILS upgradation on 8 April. However, the closure of the runway, easterly winds and congestion impacted flight operations.
