Bhubaneswar, Jul 21 (IANS): Instrument Landing System (ILS) has become operational at Veer Surendra Sai (VSS) Airport in Jharsuguda of Odisha, officials said on Wednesday.

In a tweet, the Airport Authority of India (AAI) said the ILS will help in precise landing of aircraft at the airport. It will also positively impact flight regularity during bad weather and low visibility conditions. The overall cost of the project is approximately Rs 15 crore.

The new ILS became operational on July 15, 2021. The installation, testing, commissioning and flight inspection of the facility were carried out keeping all Covid-19 related safety precautions in mind, the AAI said.

Prior to the operationalisation of ILS, the flights were landing at the second functional airport in Odisha using Doppler Very High-Frequency Omni Range (DVOR) and Distance Measuring Equipment (DME) procedure, sources said.

In September 2018, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had inaugurated the airport during his visit to Odisha. Currently, Air India and SpiceJet operate flights from the airport to cities like Kolkata, Delhi and Mumbai.