Today, big bird to test new IGI runway

New Delhi: This is as big as it gets: the first flight to land on the new runway at Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport, at 10.30 am Thursday, would be a Boeing 777-300 ER Air India flight, one of the largest aircraft in the country. It can carry up to 368 passengers.
Union Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel would felicitate the Air India pilot who lands the first flight at the third runway.
“It is like a report card for the runway,” said an official of the Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL), the joint-venture company renovating the airport. “The pilot will visually inspect the runway, give report about the markings, and basically analyse it.”
There would be no passengers on board the aircraft, which would take off from the IGI Airport itself.
Trial flights would continue at the runway for at least one week. DIAL expects to begin operations on the runway by August 28, after all airlines agree to use it and DGCA gives a nod.
21/08/08 Expressindia.com

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Categories: Airports Aug 2008