Dearth of air traffic controllers in India sparks alarm

New Delhi

INDIA has just ploughed US$50 million in a new 102-metre air traffic control tower in New Delhi. Now comes the hard part: finding qualified flight controllers to operate it.

The tower, designed by HOK, the same firm that drafted Apple's research headquarters in California, will be operational in about six months. Yet, it may struggle to handle more flights without enough controllers, according to aviation officials. The nation's busiest airport needs 600 of the technicians ideally for stable operations, but employs only 360, officials say.