Flights get delayed due to snag in ILS

Patna: Passengers of planes had a harrowing time as the Instrumental Landing System (ILS) of Patna airport began to malfunction even as there was poor visibility. The Indian Airlines 409 flight from Delhi hovered over Patna airport for quite some time before returning to Delhi. The flight succeeded in its second attempt after the flaw in ILS was rectified. The plane finally landed in Patna around 3.30 pm -- more than four hours behind schedule.
Patna airport was crowded with passengers and anxious relatives who were not sure if the plane would land and take off. "I have been waiting for over five hours for the flight to Delhi. It was only after four hours that the airport authorities announced that the Delhi flight would finally land and take off," said a passenger. Another Indian Airlines flight 497 was also delayed and so was the flight to Kolkata due to the snag in ILS.
An airport official, who did not want to be quoted, said visibility upto 1,600 metre is considered ideal for landing. "If visibility becomes less than that, ILS is expected to assist the pilot in landing," he said, adding that in the past there had been cases when planes had landed even when visibility was below 1,600 meter and ILS was non-functional ILS. "However, at present no pilot is willing to take that risk," the official said.
21/12/08 Times of India

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Categories: Airports Dec 2008