Mopa airport successfully completes Instrument Land System calibration

The upcoming international airport at Mopa in North Goa has successfully completed calibration of the Instrument Landing System (ILS) for the newly built runway, achieving a significant milestone, the airport developer and operator said on Friday.

GMR Goa International Airport Ltd (GGIAL) successfully completed the crucial exercise on Thursday. A senior official from GMR Goa International Airport Ltd said a special aircraft from the Airports Authority of India, Flight Inspection Unit (FIU), equipped with the analyser and ILS equipment signal tracker, completed its technical observations and fine-tuning of the equipment. With this, the upcoming Goa international airport has achieved a significant milestone, he said. The official said subsequently, the Instrument Flight Procedures (IFP) will be flown and validated by a commercial airline, which once formally approved by regulator DGCA, will give a go-ahead for the commercial pilots to fly on that procedure.

IFP is developed considering various factors including the terrain, obstacles in the surroundings etc. for the execution of a safe landing, he said. CEO of GGIAL, R V Sheshan, said, Today, we have successfully completed ILS calibration. This ensures precise and safe landing of aircraft. He said this is a major step forward towards making the new airport commercially operational.

As an airport operator, GGIAL is constantly working to make the new international airport, the airport of choice for airlines and fliers by unlocking the true potential of Goa, he added.

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has said the Mopa international airport would be commissioned between August 15 and September 1. GMR, in a statement released here, said ILS is an essential navigation aid to help pilots land their aircraft in low visibility conditions during IFR (Instrument Flight Rules) flights.

ILS is used to provide accurate azimuth (compass bearing) and descent guidance signals to aircraft for landing on the runway under normal or adverse weather conditions, the statement added.