news details |
|
|
| With obsolete ILS in place cancellation of flights becomes regular feature at Srinagar airport | | Final nail in Kashmir economy | | Jehangir Rashid
Early Times Report
srinagar, Dec 10: For the past four days the people of Kashmir valley have no connection with the outside world since dense fog has led to cancellation of all flights to and fro Srinagar. This has virtually put final nail in the coffin as Kashmir economy is struggling to come to terms.
Since Saturday (December 7) no flight has landed or taken off at the Srinagar International Airport. The complete cancellation of flights has compounded the problems of flyers to and fro Srinagar. On Friday just few flights had taken off from the Srinagar International Airport and just few had landed at this airport.
Some of the people while making a mocking of the situation say that Srinagar airport cannot be compared to any domestic airport of country and referring to it as international airport is an insult to the word 'international'. They say that there would hardly be any place in the world where the flight schedule gets disturbed every now and then.
Sources told Early Times that the installation of obsolete Instrumentation Landing System (ILS) at the Srinagar airport leads to disruption of flights at this airport. They said that there is a need to replace the obsolete ILS with the modern one so that flights operate even during low visibility.
"For years together we have been hearing about the erection of obsolete ILS at the Srinagar airport, but no step has been taken to replace the same. Foggy conditions are prevalent at most of the places in the world, but that does not stop the movement of air traffic at those places," said sources.
Sources said that due to the ILS at the Srinagar airport the aero-planes need more visibility as compared to the places where flights take off or land even at low visibility. They said that since Kashmir is a tourist place the ILS needs to be upgraded at the Srinagar airport so that there is less cancellation of flights.
"In the contemporary times there is cut throat competition in different sectors including the tourism sector. Since tourists have many other options Kashmir is all set to lose in case the disruption of flights becomes a regular feature. Many tourist bookings to Kashmir have been cancelled due to the cancellation of flights over the past four days or so," said sources.
Sources said that since Kashmir economy is to a large extent dependent on tourism the frequent cancellation of flights would bamboozle the already existing disturbing economic scenario of the valley. They said that tourism players and tour operators would suffer huge losses if no solution is found out to the problem.
The Kashmir Chamber of Commerce & Industry (KCC&I), apex body of traders in Kashmir had pitched for the installation of modern ILS at the Srinagar airport so that issues like flight disruption or cancellation of flights are put to rest at the earliest. The Chamber wrote to the civil aviation ministry many times and raised the issues at different forums as well. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
