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New Delhi , Sept. 30

IN an effort to bring about better air space management in the Indian skies, a pilot project may start within the next three months in the air zones in Hyderabad and Bangalore.

In an informal chat with newspersons, the Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal S. Krishnaswamy, said that the issue was complex and was being jointly studied by a team from the Indian Air Force (IAF) and authorities connected with civil aviation. A committee consisting of officials of the Directorate-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and the IAF has already been set up to look into the issue.

"We need to bring about flexibility. We need to bring together the air traffic controllers from the two sides so that they can communicate with each other. This is a complex affair. Although we cannot put a date on the project yet, the experimental stage should start in the next three months or by the beginning of next year," the Air Chief said.

While the new project will not be apparent to the public, it would make a difference to aircraft movement in air space over various cities, including Bangalore and Hyderabad. "The idea is to see how to make best use of the air space in a more economic manner," Air Chief Krishnaswamy said, and added that it would lead to a 15-20 per cent increase in air space being available during certain times of the day.

The Air Chief said that there was no reason why the various Indian agencies could not come to an agreement on more flexible air space management that was being followed in several countries, including South Africa and the UK.

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