Latest news with #AirTrafficControl
India Today
17 hours ago
- Climate
- India Today
Delhi dust storm forces IndiGo pilot to abort landing, video captures turbulence
An IndiGo flight from Raipur to Delhi was forced to abort landing on Sunday evening due to a severe dust storm and turbulent weather conditions in the 6E 6313 was about to touch down at the Indira Gandhi International Airport when strong gusty winds and a dust storm hit Delhi-NCR, prompting the pilot to abort the landing and circle in the air until conditions improved. advertisementA video recorded by a passenger inside the aircraft surfaced on social media, capturing the moment of turbulence as the plane shook mid-air. The aircraft eventually landed safely at the IGI airport in Delhi after it was cleared by the Air Traffic Control (ATC) to to the pilot's announcement, the wind speed was up to 80 km per hour, as he discontinued the approach and climbed back till the weather CHANGE IN DELHI WEATHEREarlier, strong gusty winds swept across Delhi and the National Capital Region, accompanied by dust storms and heavy rain on Sunday evening after the residents grappled with a hot downpour further cooled the atmosphere, resulting in a significant drop in temperatures - by up to 14 degrees Celsius in various parts of Delhi - offering residents a brief but welcome respite from the intense summer Safdarjung, the temperature plummeted by 14 degrees - from 37C at 3:30 pm to 23C by 5:30 sudden change in weather followed earlier forecasts by the India Meteorological Department (IMD), which had predicted light rain and thunderstorms accompanied by strong winds reaching speeds of 50-70 kmph across several parts of Delhi-NCR during the final three days of agency inputsMust Watch
The Journal
5 days ago
- General
- The Journal
Irish Air Corps to move to five-day week from June as Air Traffic Control crisis deepens
THE IRISH AIR Corps is to end 24-hour operations and reduce their service to a five day week in June as a crisis in air traffic control has reached a critical point, The Journal has learned. Air traffic control for the Air Corps is managed from Casement Aerodrome at Baldonnel in southwest Co Dublin. The controllers based there manage the airspace around the airfield, which can include nighttime operations by military helicopters, Garda aircraft and fixed wing Defence Forces aircraft such as those used to monitor maritime activities off the coast. The Journal reported earlier this month on mounting fears that a shortage of the skilled military personnel who work in air traffic control could lead to a partial shutdown of the service. The Garda Air Support Unit (GASU) helicopter was operating at nearby Weston Airport in Kildare on Saturday. It is understood senior Garda leadership are now looking at contingencies to find a new base for the unit away from Baldonnel. Air Corps pilots fly the aircraft and it is maintained on the ground by military technicians. Gardaí operate its surveillance systems. Sources have said that the Garda helicopter can operate without dedicated air traffic controllers based at Casement in some circumstances. However Gardaí are set to take delivery of a new fixed-wing surveillance aircraft which will need dedicated air traffic control to operate. Sources have said the most likely solution is to base the aircraft at Weston Airport. As it stands, the Irish Coast Guard are also set to base their helicopters in the Kildare facility having moved from Dublin Airport. There are concerns the cutting back in air traffic control hours at Baldonnel may lead to a lack of availability of military planes to provide 'top cover' – essentially, communication relay links – for Coast Guard choppers tasked with long-range missions. British aircraft have been used to provide that service on some callouts in the past. It has also emerged that there is a plan to move the Maritime Patrol aircraft, the new CASA 295, to Shannon. While some security sources said that this may be a positive move as it reduces flight time to the Atlantic, it is necessitated by the Air Traffic Control crisis. A PC-9 trainer passes the control tower in Casement Aerodrome. Irish Defence Forces Irish Defence Forces Internal report warning Separately The Journal has learned, from multiple sources, that a high level report was written in 2021 following meetings of a working group to find a solution to the gathering problems in the Irish Air Corps at that time. One of the risks identified in the report was around Air Traffic Control provision. Sources have said that this report made recommendations such as specialist payments to keep controllers in the service but they were never acted on. Advertisement The so-called retention payment scheme was offered to Air Corps pilots who are officers but not to air traffic controllers. Those personnel have been offered better pay and conditions elsewhere in civilian roles with a starting wage of close to €80,000. There had been an offer to commission the enlisted personnel into the officer ranks recently. The issues the report warned about have now come to pass and the Air Corps is now faced with the prospect of having to operate on de facto civilian office hours. Sources have said that there may be a way to operate an on-call for emergencies but this has not been decided. Sources have said there are internal recriminations with a blame game beginning between the Irish Defence Forces and Department of Defence. When contacted both organisations said they could not comment for operational reasons. A Garda spokesman referred our query to the Irish Defence Forces but confirmed that the GASU 'is operational at this time'. The Garda Air Support Unit helicopter. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo No quick fix In the coming weeks four senior controllers will leave the Irish Air Corps and take up jobs in the civilian aviation industry – some of those will work in Weston Airport. A senior source said that there is no quick fix – a suggestion has been made that basic training can be given to officers and emergency personnel in Baldonnel to act as 'Airfield Lookouts'. This would enable Garda operations to continue at the base but the regulations are strict on this, particularly when there is bad weather which could limit operations without fully qualified operators in the Control Tower. Bringing in civilian contractors has been done in the Air Corps in recent years, around the managing of operations at the airfield. Many former Air Corps personnel have returned to Baldonnel to work as civilians, managing ground movements of aircraft. However the complicating issue with Casement Air Traffic Control is that the specialist nature of the way military aviation works would require time to train civilians up to the unique environment. Multiple sources said that there are new pilot cadets due to return from their training abroad in the coming weeks. They must rapidly get flight hours in Ireland to progress but this will be limited because of the lack of air traffic control. Many security sources have contacted The Journal to raise concerns about the crisis – some expressing barely contained anger about what has happened. One exasperated source said: 'This is a single point of failure – Air Traffic Control is the bolt that holds everything together and it is broken and they can't replace it. It will take years to fix it.' Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
The Hindu
7 days ago
- General
- The Hindu
Laser beam strikes flight during arrival at city airport
: Around 8.15 p.m. on Sunday, as an Emirates B777-300 flight from Dubai was making its descent to the city airport, a green laser light struck the aircraft. The pilot immediately reported the incident to the Air Traffic Control (ATC), who informed the police. A day prior to this incident, a Gulf Air flight faced the same issue. In the month of May alone, there were five instances of laser beam interference experienced by flights landing at the Chennai airport, making it difficult for pilots to manoeuvre the aircraft. 'When the flight was around six nautical miles away from touchdown, the pilot encountered the issue and reported it to the ATC. The flashing of the laser stopped abruptly, and the flight landed safely at the 25-end (Guindy end) of the main runway,' a source said. Laser beam interference is dangerous and categorised under 'hazardous incidents'. The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) has underscored the seriousness of this issue, especially when it occurs during critical phases of flight such as landing, approach and take-off, and how it could impact the pilot. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation, in its National Aviation Safety Plan 2024-2028, said: 'Aiming a laser at an aircraft, especially during approach and landing, may blind the flight crew and lead to a loss of control during a critical phase of flight, potentially causing a serious incident/accident. Public awareness is essential for preventing the occurrence of such incidents.' In 2023, 144 cases of laser interference were reported during landing and take-off in the country. 'It is also difficult to trace and locate the individuals in such cases. We can only raise awareness, which we have been consistently doing. We keep highlighting the issue in the Airfield Environment Management Committee meetings as well,' a source said. Usually, there are just one or two instances of these incidents, but weddings or other events can lead to an increase in such cases, according to sources. 'From toys to small-scale events, access to lasers have become so common. The only thing we can do is sensitise people to its adverse impact on aircraft. Moreover, the use of laser beam lights should be barred within the vicinity of the airport,' another source said.
American Military News
7 days ago
- Politics
- American Military News
After fatal crash, proposed law would ban tourist helicopter flights around NYC
New Jersey and New York congressional members have proposed a bill that would ban 'non-essential' helicopter flights like the one that crashed on April 10. The bill comes at the same time a citizens group has asked federal officials for an immediate ban. Roughly a month after a tourist helicopter plunged into the Hudson River near Jersey City, killing all six people aboard, a federal bill has been introduced that would ban tourist and other 'non-essential' helicopter flights within a 20-mile radius of the Statue of Liberty. The bipartisan bill, proposed by U.S. Reps. Rob Menendez (D-8th Dist.), Jerrold Nadler (D-Manhattan), and Nicole Malliotakis (R-Staten Island), would ground non-essential helicopter flights starting 60 days after it is signed into law. The bill exempts police, medical, disaster and emergency response, infrastructure maintenance and other helicopter flights deemed to be in the public good, including news media helicopters. A bi-state citizen group, Stop the Chop, asked for an 'immediate ban' on non-essential flights over the New York Metropolitan area in a May 21 letter to U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy and FAA Administrator Chris Rocheleau. A tourist helicopter broke apart into three pieces in midair and crashed into the Hudson River near Jersey City at 3:15 p.m. on April 10. All six people on board were killed, including a family of five from Spain visiting New York City and the pilot. The National Transportation Safety Board is still investigating the cause. That crash involved a tourist helicopter that was based in Kearny and flew over densely populated Jersey City and Hoboken neighborhoods to reach Manhattan. 'In light of the recent tragedy on April 10 and the ongoing Air Traffic Control shortages in the area, the risks of having more than 100 of these flights cross right over our heads every day is undeniable and needs to be put to an end,' Nick Wierda, a Stop the Chop member and Jersey City resident, said. 'We are urging the federal government, the only body with real regulatory power over our skies, to do just that.' The letter supports the Menendez bill and made it clear that 'we support and respect the vital role of helicopters in medical, law enforcement, military, and emergency operations. We are not calling for any changes to flight paths or rules governing essential aircraft.' Hoboken, Jersey City and New York City councils passed resolutions calling on the Federal Aviation Administration to ban non-essential helicopter traffic over and near populated urban areas in the wake of the crash. The FAA has jurisdiction over the nation's airspace. The FAA took similar action on March 14 in the wake of a deadly collision between a military helicopter and a commuter jet that killed 67 people on Jan. 29 by banning helicopter traffic from the busy airspace near Reagan Airport in Washington. That ban exempted presidential flights, law enforcement and air ambulance flights. It also resulted in the FAA convening a helicopter safety roundtable in April with safety experts, government and industry representatives, where the Hudson River crash was mentioned. Residents said the FAA needs to do the same thing in New York and New Jersey, citing air space that is as congested as in Washington D.C., and the safety risk of flights over densely populated neighborhoods. 'For years this has been a major quality of life issue that has continued to worsen,' said Melissa Elstein, Stop the Chop board chair. 'On high-traffic days, usually weekends when the weather is clear, we see many times north of 100 helicopters zipping out to the Hudson and back in, skimming our roofs, shaking our houses, so close you can see the passengers inside.' Bailey Wood, a spokesperson for Vertical Aviation International, an association of helicopter operators, pilots, owners and manufacturers said accident data says the fatality rate per 100,000 hours of flight are the lowest since 2007. 'The legislation is as misguided as it is short sighted as the future of vertical flight is about to take off in ways we only once imagined,' he said. Advanced air mobility aircraft, like those from Joby, Archer, Supernal and others, will grow the existing helicopter industry to connect people more efficiently across urban, suburban, and rural area, reducing travel time, easing congestion, and creating a new paradigm of accessible and sustainable transportation, Wood said. A total of 8,848 flights went over New York City land or water in May 2023, and a large portion of these flights are non-essential, Menendez said in a March letter to Duffy. An estimated 43% are tours originating from the Downtown Manhattan Heliport, the Kearny Heliport and Linden Airport. Helicopters are subject to different minimum altitude restrictions than airplanes, said an FAA spokesperson. Airplanes must fly at least 1,000 feet above the nearest obstacle when over densely populated areas. Helicopter pilots must fly so they don't pose a hazard to people or property on the ground, said Rick Breitenfeldt an FAA spokesperson. 'Helicopters typically fly over the New York and New Jersey area using Visual Flight Rules (VFR) and just outside Newark (airport) Class B airspace,' he said. 'Pilots operating VFR use the see-and-avoid method to conduct their flights. The responsibility for flying neighborly resides with the pilot operating the helicopter.' But residents familiar with the fly neighborly program said that isn't being adhered to, given the low altitudes they said they've observed. 'People in the helicopter industry claim that they do everything they can to 'fly neighborly,' but that has not been our experience,' Wierda said. 'They fly loud and low, with no regard for our safety or sanity.' Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to Larry Higgs may be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on X @CommutingLarry. ©2025 Advance Local Media LLC. Visit Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Indian Express
7 days ago
- Indian Express
Close call for Pakistani flight as scary turbulence moment captured on video. WATCH
A flight from Karachi to Lahore narrowly avoided disaster after being caught in a powerful sandstorm mid-air. The incident occurred on May 24. Dramatic footage showing the aircraft being violently shaken by turbulence as it attempted to land at Lahore's Allama Iqbal International Airport is being widely circulated on social media. The Gulf News reported that the flight was operated by the private carrier Fly Jinnah. During its descent into Lahore, the plane encountered strong crosswinds and low visibility caused by the sandstorm, making landing conditions extremely dangerous. With safety at risk, Air Traffic Control reportedly instructed the pilot to abort the landing, and the pilot made the decision to fly back to Karachi. The viral clip shows the aircraft shaking violently and passengers screaming in fear. Sharing the video, an Instagram handle @fl360aero wrote, 'Flight 9P842 / FJL842 encountered intense turbulence mid-air as it was caught in a severe storm while attempting to land at Allama Iqbal International Airport, was forced for a go-around. Cockpit, following instructions from air traffic control, flew the aircraft back to Karachi on 24 May.' Watch here: A post shared by FL360aero (@fl360aero) The incident has sparked an array of reactions on social media, with a user commenting, 'Understanding India's values, we would have granted their request to fly over our air space on humanitarian grounds. This is the greatness of my India.' 'Now you understand what the indigo passengers went through a few days ago when your 'government' refused flight path to the aircraft,' another user wrote. An IndiGo flight from Delhi to Srinagar recently experienced severe turbulence and a hailstorm before landing safely in the Jammu and Kashmir capital. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) stated that the pilots had contacted Lahore Air Traffic Control seeking temporary access to Pakistani airspace, however, the request was turned down. Both India and Pakistan have closed their respective airspace to each other's aircraft following the Pahalgam terror attack.
