Ranchi, April 19 : Flights into Birsa Munda Airport in Ranchi have been routinely delayed or diverted over the past week due to dense fog and the absence of a Category II (CAT II) approach lighting system, airport officials said on Friday.
Procured last year, the CAT II lighting—designed to permit safe landings in visibility as low as 850 metres—has never been installed at Ranchi after airport expansion stalled over land acquisition issues. Fearing damage to the idle equipment, authorities have now sent the system to Deoghar Airport in Babanagari for installation, the official added.
Currently, Birsa Munda requires a minimum of 1,300 metres of runway visibility before allowing an aircraft to land. The CAT II system would extend runway lights up to 900 metres from the threshold, lowering the visibility requirement to 850 metres and enabling operations in heavier fog.
“With CAT II approach lighting, aircraft can land and take off even at 850 metres visibility in fog and mist,” the official said.
Efforts to acquire the necessary land for installing the lighting array at Ranchi have been under way for several months, but no agreement has yet been reached, perpetuating the airport’s vulnerability to weather-related disruptions.
