STORY:
India Planning Y2K Flight Changes

Contingency plans call for larger separations between planes

The Civil Aviation Ministry of India has claimed that all major areas such as communications, navigation and landing systems, surveillance systems and facilitation systems have been made Y2K-compliant. But according to press reports, concerns of failures in communications and other systems have led leaders to put special contingency plans in place for flights on New Year's Eve.

According to the plan, which will take effect at 9:30pm on December 31, all planes on international flights will have to fly above 27,000 feet and the longitudinal separation between two planes will be increased from 10 to 15 minutes. All aircraft will also be required to adhere to the allotted Mach number and would be carrying extra fuel as well. Non-scheduled flights are likely to be restricted that day.

At the ground level, four national Y2K management centers will be set up at Delhi, Calcutta, Chennai and Mumbai, which will become operational from the afternoon of December 31. Experts stationed at these centers will be in constant touch with the Y2K control center at Bangkok which has been set up by the International Civil Aviation Organization. On-the-spot advice to solve any problem that may arise mid-flight is expected from these experts.

Source: The Hindu

DATE: 8/30/99

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