Bipin Shah   Self Employed
The new T3 terminal in Delhi has become the first airport in the country to adopt the more environment-friendly Fixed Electrical Ground Power (FEGP) on all its 78 aero-bridges. This has the potential to save airlines huge amount of money annually by cutting down on expensive air turbine fuel (ATF) while also reducing emissions and noise pollution.

Across the world, airports are moving towards adopting FEGP units. Not to be left behind, in June the Indian regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation issued its first aviation environment circular for the year, asking Indian airports to also affect this move. Till now only Delhi has FEGPs in India; Mumbai airport will get them only when its terminal 2 comes up ? at the end of 2012.

FEGPs can act as an alternative to the ATF-powered Auxillary Power Units (APU) of the aircraft. After an aircraft lands and its main engines are turned off, it switches to the APU for power and the all important on-board air-conditioning back up. At many metro airports, in the absence of FEGP, airlines opt for the less expensive diesel-run Ground Power Unit (GPU) and air-conditioning carts as an alternative to the APU after landing.
Aug 9th 2010 01:22