Lightning
Singapore is one of the world’s most lightning-prone countries, and the phenomenon poses safety risks to airside workers, disrupts airport operations and delays flights and baggage handling, CAAS and NEA said.
Lightning risk notifications are currently issued based on a 6km safety radius around Changi Airport, however, this poses operational challenges, especially with the airport’s footprint set to nearly double with the completion of Terminal 5.
CAAS and NEA will therefore aim to minimise the effects of cloud-to-ground lightning by improving Singapore’s lightning forecast precision.
They will seek to do so through means such as the creation of a more precise density map of lightning strikes at Changi Airport based on historical data; electromagnetic modelling of lightning interactions with aircraft, airport infrastructure and people; the use of algorithms to strengthen current predictions of lightning events and zone-based lightning risk assessment.
According to the agencies, this will “enhance worker safety, reduce downtime and allow for a more targeted zone-based approach to managing lightning risk”.
Turbulence
