As the recent air-miss incident involving a special aircraft carrying UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and a Virgin Atlantic flight was being investigated, an air traffic control officer has been suspended pending enquiry, official sources said on Tuesday.
Maintaining that the incident was not one which could have resulted in a mishap, chief of Directorate General of Civil Aviation Kanu Gohain told media persons that 'no unsafe situation was created' and both the planes were under constant radar surveillance and VHF (very high frequency) radar contact.
He said the incident was a 'procedural breach' of regulations laid down for lateral and vertical separation between two aircraft flying at a certain height. This led to what is called an 'air-miss' as opposed to 'near-miss.'
Official sources said an ATC official had been suspended pending the DGCA probe, which would establish accountability and find out lapses in the system.
Gohain also said the two aircraft 'did not get any advisory or resolutionary warning' as both of them were fitted with the advanced collision avoidance system. However, the IAF Boeing was not fitted with TCAS (traffic alert and collision avoidance system).
Asked whether the IAF's VIP fleet would be fitted with TCAS and other advanced warning systems in view of the increased air traffic, a senior air force officer said upgrade proposals were already under implementation and TCAS would be installed in the 'next few months.'
Assistance Chief of Staff (Operations) T J Mathews said: "We already have the ACAS fitted in these aircraft. Now the altimeters would also be integrated in these older generation planes."
"TCAS will be fitted in all aircraft," including the transport fleet, he said.
