Equipment fail to ensure night flights

Cachar: One of the busiest airports in the Northeast, Kumbhirgram in Silchar has not been able to start night operations though all the necessary devices have been installed.
A Rs 5-crore light arrangement was put in place about six months ago but the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has not yet given its nod to night landing and take-off from this 67-year-old aerodrome. Kumbhirgram handles the highest number of passengers after Guwahati, Imphal and Agartala airports.
The Instrument Landing System, part II, imported from Germany at the cost of Rs 30 crore and installed at both ends of the 7,500-foot runway, is also lying unused.
Neither the defence ministry nor the AAI of India — a wing of the Union civil aviation ministry — seem to be in a mood to give night operations the green signal.
“Perhaps the authorities are awaiting the green signal from the VVIPs who are now being wooed by the AAI for the gala inauguration of these two devices,” a official of Silchar airport said.
Despite the state-of-the-art apparatus, Silchar airport has to suspend operations after every shower and wait for the sun to appear, with frustrated passengers counting minutes in the lounge.
03/11/09 The Telegraph

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Categories: Airports Nov 2009