The Hindu Business Line : A little tailwind from NARL can cut airline fuel bill

Airlines buffeted by rising aviation fuel prices can look for mid-air tips from an unlikely quarter to help save up to 10 per cent on their fuel bill.

If all goes well, the National Atmospheric Research Lab, an entity of the Department of Space based at Gaadanki village, 40 km from Tirupati, hopes to provide flight-critical information in real time on the ideal flying altitude for planes and, in turn, help save on gas.

The NARL Director, Dr D. Narayana Rao said the premier weather research centre hoped to set up a network of 10-12 ST radars across the country to detect the aviation-friendly tailwind and avoid the energy-consuming headwind at heights of 9-13 km. The savings could run into a few hundred crore rupees a year, though no estimate is available yet. A US study had found 10 per cent drop in fuel use with the use of a similar initiative over a three-year period, he said.

NARL has submitted an 11th Plan for setting up the ST (stratosphere-troposphere) radars over five years on the lines of US, European and Japanese models. The Rs 100-crore proposal made through the Department of Science and Technology would involve universities, institutes, operators and user agencies.

The aviation sector currently relied on information generated through weather balloons and this had limitations, Dr Rao told a visiting media team.

Agricultural uses

While civil aviation would remain a minor beneficiary of such accurate weather forecast, agriculture would be the main beneficiary, he said. NARL plays a key role in providing wind information during ISRO's satellite launches.

When this network comes up, it will be a major link in the existing international network; "We need more platforms for atmospheric observation," he said.

Shortage of scientists

The proposal also calls for nearly 1,000 atmospheric scientists to run the system.

With a pool consisting of barely 100 in the country, this is a weak link and NARL is working with UGC to start courses in universities, Dr Rao said.

Nestling in the basin valley near Tirupati, the 50-acre NARL has the world's second largest MST radar after Peru to catch wind data up to 60 km height.

Set up in 1993, it was known until last year as the National MST Radar Facility.

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