Animals at Nagpur airport raise alarm

Nagpur: A visit to the Nagpur International Airport has exposed the apathy of concerned authorities in addressing the issue that could put hundreds of lives at risk. Headlines Today visited Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport after a deer was crushed by an Air India aircraft on the runway as it was taking off for Delhi recently.
Outside, statues of wild deers stand tall, welcoming passengers to Nagpur's International Airport. Inside the aiport, real life animals come a bit too close for comfort. A cat lounges with passengers in the waiting area and on the runway, they come dangerously close.
Headlines Today cameras capture a langur freewheeling across the runway, even as a commercial passenger flight approaches. Another langur is perched on the ATC signal tower.
At a busy runway, scattered with langurs and planes in equal measure, a disaster is waiting to happen. Not just langurs, the Nagpur airport is frequented by wild boars, barking deers, nilghai's and stray dogs as well.
Three accidents have taken place on the runway in the last few days, triggering fear among pilots and passengers, who've spotted these animals inside the airport on a regular basis.
"This airport is a big zoo. You can see deers, boars etc. It's an international jungle," says Baba Dawre, an eyewitness.
Aviation Expert Captain S.S. Panesar said, "It can break aircraft. It can kill people. Aircraft can catch fire. Fortunately, no big mishap has happened. But pilots have been rejecting take off."
The airport officials are aware of the problem and have called in forest officials to capture the wild animals.
30/06/11 Manish Awasthi/India Today

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Categories: Airports Jul 2011, Safety Jul 2011