‘Vardha’ cyclone doubles revenue generated by overflight charges

As a result of the ‘Vardha’ cyclone that hit the South Eastern Indian region, the number of aircraft compelled to fly over Sri Lankan airspace had marked a steep increase, and thus doubled the revenue generated by overflight charges during the past three days, the Sri Lanka Air Traffic Controllers’ Association (SLATCA) said yesterday.

Meanwhile, SLATCA Vice President Tharindu Gajadeera said the number of flights that travelled over national airspace was in average between 90 and 120, but it had now shown a record number of 180 to 200. While a vast area of the Indian Ocean was faced with the threat of ‘Vardha,’ Chennai remained the worst affected, he said.

“All aircraft which otherwise fly over the cyclone-hit area have requested detour from their usual tracks and to fly over the airspace that comes under the Colombo Flight Information Region. This situation had been challenging for the Colombo Air Traffic Controllers as most aircraft deviated from their regular paths. With limited resources, the controllers managed to keep the regional air traffic flow moving without causing major delays to the airlines,” he said.

However, Air Traffic Controllers stationed at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) also had to take extra effort to manage limited aircraft parking space at the BIA, as more flights got cancelled and some aircraft bound to Chennai remained stranded.

“As the Chennai Air Traffic Control Centre is gradually coming back to their regular operations and the adverse effects of the cyclone are dissipating, we expect the number of over-flying aircraft to return to its normal figures,” he said. (Chaturanga Pradeep)