Airport runway as potholed as city roads

Nagpur: Driving down city roads, any driver would give a king's ransom for the ability to fly over all the potholes and rough patches. But before that, talk to pilots who land aircraft on the runway at Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport at Nagpur. Its condition is said to be worse than the city roads these days.
"The 3,200-meter runway at Nagpur airport has become worse than city roads. A 300-meter patch, at the spot where aircraft brake hard after landing has been completely damaged. Every time an aircraft goes over this particular patch it experiences a bump," a senior airport official said on condition of anonymity.
The damaged braking spot poses a risk of some aircraft skidding. At least 22 aircraft land on this runway every day at Nagpur airport along with Air Force IL-76 cargo planes (Gajraj) and chartered aircraft. Another potential safety hazard for aircraft is the risk of tar particles from the damaged patch getting into aircraft engines.
"The runway surface has been giving way every now and then because of various reasons like heavy rains last year etc. But it raises a question on the maintenance work done by the airport operator company, Mihan India Private Limited (MIPL)," the official said.
The surface disintegration or rough patches on the runway have not forced any unscheduled closure of the airport as yet, neither have pilots officially complained about the runway condition. However, senior airport officials themselves admit that the runway is in pathetic condition and needs immediate resurfacing.
26/01/11 Sachin Dravekar/Times of India

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Categories: Airports Jan 2011, Safety Jan 2011