KIA's new runway gets an indigenous visibility system

The 50th Drishti Transmissometer was installed for India Meteorological Department (IMD) at Kempegowda International Airport (KIA), Bengaluru, on Friday.

Four Drishti systems are being installed for the new runway at KIA. Two sophisticated Aviation Weather Monitoring system will be installed next week and made available on a single computer for Air Traffic Control room and pilots, according to sources.

Drishti Transmissometer, the indigenous cost-effective visibility measuring system, has been developed at the workshop of National Aerospace Laboratories, Bengaluru. As the Drishti system is web-enabled, maintenance may be carried out from any location in the country. None of the Drishti systems, including the first one installed at Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi, in 2011, has failed so far.

The Drishti Transmissometer won the first Make in India National Award in 2015.

The system helps pilots while flying out or approaching airports with an accurate runway visual range. It is available for one-third of the price of the imported system.

Till 2011, the IMD imported instruments. It inked an agreement with CSIR-NAL to install the Drishti Transmissometers at civilian airports in the country. The system has also been installed at 54 airports managed by the Indian Air Force (IAF).