Air safety a major concern at Shimla airport

Shimla: Air safety at Shimla airport, situated at Jubberhati at an altitude of 2,196 meters above the sea level, is a challenging task, considering that it is among the three table-top airports in the country. While talking to HimVani over phone, Director Tourism and Special Secretary (Monitoring and Coordination), Arun Kumar Sharma, himself admitted that in view of the air-crash at Manglore, negligible road connectivity in the the periphery of the 3,800-feet-long airstrip due to hilly terrain is a matter of concern.
Responding to a query raised by HimVni, Sharma said that in case of any eventuality the task would be uphill for the authorities to carry out a search and rescue operation. Pushing the ball in the court of Airport Authority of India (AAI), Sharma stated that the matter is serious and airport authority is expected to act appropriately. He said that so far their is has been no written request on behalf of AAI, which is looking after the flight operation at Jubberhati Airport, “but if they would pursue the matter with us with regards to extension of connectivity the state government and the department would positively act on their request.”
When contacted at Jubberhati airport, an official of AAI told HimVani, on the condition of anonymity, that they have arrangements of fire fighting at the strip level but the left bank of the airport is unconnected so far. It is learnt that the Directorate General (DG) of Civil Aviation has sought information regarding the guidelines for rescue operation in case of any eventuality.
30/05/10 ML Verma/Himavani

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Categories: Airports May 2010, Safety May 2010