Raipur, 10 September (). Lightning fell on the air traffic control tower of Swami Vivekananda Airport in Raipur, Chhattisgarh. This led to a damage to the signing -giving equipment of the Air Traffic Control (ATC) tower, causing a huge obstruction of flights at the airport.
According to airport sources, during the heavy rains with roaring, celestial lightning fell directly on the signal system near the ATC tower, causing difficulty in getting the necessary data and signals related to the operation of flights to the control room.
In terms of security, the airport administration decided to divert flights with immediate effect, avoiding the potential threat.
The flight coming from Hyderabad to Raipur was sent to Bhubaneswar. The flight from Kolkata to Raipur was also diverted to Bhubaneswar. The flight from Delhi to Raipur was diverted to Bhopal. The flight coming from Mumbai to Raipur was sent to Nagpur. Another flight was also landed at an alternative airport.
Airport officials said no loss or major damage was reported at the moment, but the damage to signal equipment is being assessed. The team of technical experts is engaged in normalizing the air traffic control system as soon as possible. After the ATC system is fixed, the diverted flights will be landed in Raipur.
Explain that the ATC (Air Traffic Control) system is a service operated by ground-based air traffic controllers, which is designed to prevent conflict between aircraft in the air and at airports, to maintain safe and systematic air traffic flows.
It uses radar, communication devices, and human coordination to ensure that the aircraft fly safely, reach their floor and move efficiently through controlled airspace.
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