Robert Hart, Staff ReporterTHE NEW navigational and communications system which was slated to be installed at the Norman Manley International Airport by December 2002, won't be in place before the end of March this year.
According to Leo McEwan, information manager in the Ministry of Transport and Works, plans for the installation of the NORMAC (NAVIA) 7000 Instrument Landing System (ILS) had to be redrafted as the original design would have necessitated a reduction in the length of the airport's runway. As a result, construction did not begin until last December and is now expected to be completed within the next three months.
Jeremiah Baker, deputy director general for administrative services at the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), told The Gleaner that as the problem was caught early in the initial phase of construction, there would not be much variation in the estimated cost of the installation of the system.
"We are still well within budget," he said.
Mr. Baker also said, with regard to $1.3 billion of radar equipment installed since 1998, but which had remained unused up to last year, that training of air traffic controllers in its use is well under way and the equipment is now in limited operation.
"Training is ongoing. While we train and certify people, we will operate on a partial basis," Mr. Baker said.
He explained that, as circumstances cause trainees to learn at different paces, a six-week training programme could sometimes extend to eight.
Information received from the CAA indicates that 17 senior air traffic controllers, who were previously trained in Europe and Canada, have now completed a seven-week classroom and on-the-job module. Another 19 controllers are expected to be trained up to the Approach Control level by July this year.
With the need for practical application in some phases of training, Mr. Baker said that it was necessary to have experienced controllers supervise trainees in using the radar equipment. Traing was therefore delayed at times to allow them (the experienced controllers) to give priority to maintaining operational efficiency in high traffic periods such as the just ended Christmas season, he said.
With this in mind, much greater use of the radar equipment by certified personnel is not expected until later this year.
Last year, Mr. Pickersgill signed a US$1 million (J$48 million) contract for installation of the ILS system, which makes it easier for pilots to land aircraft in poor weather, with Intelcan Technosystems, a Canadian company.
At the time he also announced that the training programme for air traffic controllers in using the radar equipment, including three air traffic control radar stations located in Mount Denham in Manchester, Norwood in St. James and Port Royal Road in Kingston, would start officially in June 2002.
The training programme is being conducted by consultants from the US-based Washington Consulting Group (WCG), a subsidiary of Boeing Corporation, which was awarded a US$2.9 million contract to instruct controllers on radar operations, in collaboration with the Civil Aviation Training Institute (CAATI).
The measures were taken in the wake of a strike in February 2002 at the airport by air traffic controllers who complained about faulty equipment with which they said they had to work and the previous November's near-disaster at the airport, involving Air Jamaica's Flight 010. The pilot had missed the runway by several miles, flying low over the residential community of Hope Pastures, St. Andrew, before climbing out of danger. Malfunctioning equipment and bad weather were initially blamed for the incident.
The Gleaner reported at the time that junior pilots still honing their skills had asked the CAA to install an ILS.
