The ministry of civil aviation is all set to remove restriction on aircraft from turning after five nautical miles of flying after taking off.
The restriction was implemented almost seven years ago as a precautionary measure due to the terrorist attack on the twin trade towers in New York.
The measure, viewed as one of the most impractical measures introduced after 9/11, will be removed from May 8.
The ministry, after the attack on the twin towers, had declared that no aircraft could turn in any direction for five nautical miles after taking off from Delhi lest it was hijacked and used as a missile.
The move is expected to increase the number of aircraft movements at the Delhi airport, from the existing 35 per hour (approximately 17.5 in and 17.5 out) to around 40 per hour.
The ministry in its bid to remove congestion in the Delhi sky is also set to introduce performance-based navigation (PBN) where the distance between aircraft hovering in the air waiting to land will be reduced from five to eight nautical miles to three nautical miles depending on the traffic.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has already reduced the vertical separation to 1,000 ft above flight level 29,000 ft and above. This would actually allow the passengers on one aircraft to see the other aircraft waiting in line to land while in the air.
?We are introducing performance-based navigation, which will make the longitudinal distance shorter by about three nautical miles from the existing 5-7 nautical miles,? director general of civil aviation Kanu Gohain told reporters on the sidelines of a safety seminar hosted by private carrier Jet Airways in Mumbai recently.
When asked whether there was any timeline for its implementation, Gohain said, ?We are trying to test this. We are doing our best; we will try to implement the performance-based navigation system by June-July this year.?
Gohain added that the civil aviation regulatory body, DGCA, was also working on reducing the lateral displacement in order to meet the challenges of the growing air traffic in the country.
The lateral displacement would also be made shorter, which would increase the capacity of air space by easing traffic growth, he said.
Replying to a query on the safety aspects of the reduced distance, whereby the aircraft would move in close proximity of each other, Gohain said, ?Yes, we can see the airplane from the window, but that does not mean a hazard situation develops.?
He said pilots were being trained for this specific need along with certification being provided to aircraft.
?The pilots are also being subjected to that. The aircraft has to be certified for this precision instrument. Even the crew has to be trained. They have to go for that training,? he said.