In Mumbai, even take-offs are bumpy

Mumbai: It is not just the potholes on Mumbai's roads that are giving motorists a jolt. Take-offs and landings at the airport have also been getting bumpier.
According to officials working at the Mumbai airport, both the main as well as the secondary runways have had to be shut down for more than the usual time in the past two months so that patches that chip off due to aircraft movement can be levelled.
"A pothole on the runway is not the same as a pothole on the road. What we refer to as a pothole on the runway is when the surface gets chipped off or has a little disintegration. This has to be levelled for smooth and hazard free landings and take-offs,'' said an airport source. "In the past few months, these glitches have occurred every now and then.''
Almost a month ago, a pilot preparing to take off in the rain had reported a pothole on the runway. After that, the flight was stalled for around an hour while Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL) repaired the surface.
According to airport sources, the main runway was closed at least six times in August for civil maintenance work, while the secondary runway was shut on four occasions. This was apart from the routine maintenance closures every Friday and Sunday, they said. In July, the main runway was shut down twice, while the secondary runway was closed almost 10 times.
01/10/08 Chinmayi Shalya/Times of India

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Categories: Airports Oct 2008