Airlines stall Calcutta runway project

Airlines have objected to Calcutta airport’s main runway being closed for 18 days to replace the old Instrumental Landing System (ILS).
The airport authorities had planned to replace the ILS equipment this month by keeping the runway closed during the day. Flights were to take off from and land on the secondary runway during this period.
But airline representatives who met officials of the Airports Authority of India (AAI) at the airport on Tuesday objected to the proposal. “The secondary runway cannot be used if visibility drops. Flights will have to be diverted in such a situation,” said an official of the Airlines Operators’ Committee.
Air India’s Haj flights, which will ferry 535 passengers daily from October to January, may be affected by the postponement.
The airlines have requested the authorities to install the ILS on the secondary runway and then close the main one.
However, the ILS should be installed on the secondary runway only after its extension, which could take more than a year.
“Installation of the ILS on the secondary runway will take six to eight months. So we are planning to install the ILS on the primary runway in around a week, instead of 18 days,” said P.K. Singhal, the regional executive director of AAI (eastern region).
17/09/08 The Telegraph

To Read the News in full at Source, Click the Headline

Categories: Airports Sep 2008