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The
Indian aviation industry is in the throes of a boom. There
have been several new entrants into the field. The new players
with the low-cost model have been successful in attracting
many first-time passengers (from the railway segment) into
their fold. This has led to a good increase in the number
of passengers flying, and the growth for the year 2005-06
is estimated at over 20%.
The
existing players have also announced ambitious fleet expansion
plans to cover more destinations both within the country and
abroad. The infrastructure needed to cope with such additional
load is, however, not up to the mark. It is only but natural
that the sector has to overcome a few challenges in order
to sustain the buoyant mood.
The
current Flight Data Processing System at the Delhi airport
was short-listed for an up gradation, 15 years ago. Still
the process is far from over. The routine maintenance is itself
a struggle now. The flight data processor even at key airports
like Delhi and Mumbai are known to crash frequently. The radio
contact between the different air traffic control centers
also is known to frequently break down due to usage of faulty
equipment. Moreover, these centers are also reported to be
undermanned as compared to global standards, thus leading
to further stress on the operating personnel.
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