The Airport Authority of India has granted permission to the Juhu Air Traffic Control (ATC) to control operations of helicopters travelling at a distance of 15 nautical miles within Mumbai limits and at heights between 500 to 700 feet. “Any operation beyond these stipulated limits will require permission from the Mumbai ATC,” said an ATC official from the Mumbai airport.
The move will lessen the number of delays — currently plaguing helicopter movements — by 80 per cent.
The problem of delays had first surfaced last year, after chopper operations from the Mumbai Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA) were shifted to the Juhu airport. It was decided that all permissions for helicopter operations would be relayed from the Mumbai ATC, through the Juhu ATC. However, this lead to several delays, mainly because the Mumbai ATC was primarily involved in clearing commercial flight operations.
“We had to wait until the scheduled commercial flights were cleared by the Mumbai ATC. The situation would only worsen during peak hours. We therefore asked for better coordination between the two ATCs so that such incidents did not take place,” said Captain Uday Gelli, president of the Western Region Rotary Wings Association.
AAI regional executive director P.K. Nagpal refused to comment on the issue, but maintained that corrective measures have been taken. “An equitable solution has been reached,” he said.