Air India's Haj service hits an air pocket

New Delhi: Air India's Haj operation, which takes off from Srinagar airport next month, has run into rough weather. Airline sources say the runway at Srinagar is not wide enough for the A330 aircraft, which has been deployed to ferry Haj pilgrims. The management found this out during an internal audit of the airport last month.
Haj flights were started from Srinagar to make the trip easier for Muslims of the area, who would otherwise have to travel to far off places to catch flights. Haj operations are due to begin sometime next month.
"The runway is 44 meters wide and not adequately carpeted to take the load of an A330. The runway is in desperate need of repair," said an airline official, privy to the audit report.
Pilots, naturally, are worried about safety. "Flying A330 in Srinagar airport would be unsafe because LCN of the runway is far too less than required. The LCN is the ability of the runway surface to bear the weight of the aircraft while landing and take-off," said a senior pilot.The runway width is the other worry.
13/10/09 Yogesh Kumar/Daily News & Analysis

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Categories: Air India - International Oct 2009, Airports Oct 2009, Foreign Oct 2009, NACIL Oct 2009