Noida Airport conducts full-scale aircraft turnaround trial ahead of commercial ops

Noida International Airport on Wednesday said it has successfully conducted a full-scale aircraft turnaround trial as part of its operational readiness, activation and transition (ORAT) programme ahead of the commencement of commercial operations. According to a statement issued by the airport, the trial was conducted on June 9 in collaboration with IndiGo and key airport partners to simulate a complete aircraft turnaround process on the airside. The greenfield airport is set to commence commercial operations with domestic flights from June 15. The exercise tested coordination between various systems, processes and stakeholders, including critical airport infrastructure, such as visual docking guidance systems (VDGS), passenger boarding bridges and ground power systems. VDGS is an automated airport display system to guide pilots to safely and precisely park their aircraft at the terminal gate. The trial also covered integrated baggage handling, cargo operations, in-flight catering and other ground handling activities, while refuelling scenarios were evaluated as part of operational preparedness, the statement said. Re-validation of the Instrument Landing System (ILS) and Required Navigation Performance (RNP) approach procedures was also carried out during the exercise, it added. The airport said the turnaround trial was part of a series of advanced ORAT exercises aimed at ensuring seamless coordination across operational interfaces before the start of commercial operations.