Met Dept to go in for Rs 370-crore equipment upgrade

Pune: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) is going in for a Rs 370-crore upgrade of its weather equipment in 62 airports across the country. IMD, which provides vital weather data essential for all flying operations, will first install an ‘integrated aviation meteorological system’ (IAMS) at the Mumbai airport by June next year before embarking on a five-year plan to upgrade facilities in the other 61 airports.
While the new system will drastically improve IMD’s capability to predict weather conditions and provide accurate real time data, commuters have reason to cheer as it will also help cut down flight delays due to foggy conditions. By providing accurate data of the runway visual range of up to 50 metres, the system will support instrument landing even in low visibility conditions.
The increasing number of flights at Indian airports, as well as a need to comply with international standards seemed to have persuaded IMD to go in for the upgrade.
19/12/06 Manu Pubby/Pune Newsline

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