CM orders probe into animal menace on Nagpur airport runway

Nagpur: Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan has ordered an Airport Environmental Committee (AEC) enquiry into the recurring mishaps on the runway at Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport.
Divisional commissioner BV Gopala Reddy, who also heads the AEC, would look into the incidents where stray animals have ventured on to the runway jeopardizing lives and causing a nuisance to aviation staff.
In the last two months a number of animals have created chaotic situations. On May 15, a deer was hit by a JetLite flight. Similarly, two pigs were crushed under the wheels of an Air India flight on June 22. A four-horned antelope was hit by an Air India aircraft on June 27. As many as 17 major mishaps were averted in the last five years.
The CM-ordered AEC enquiry comes a few days after TOI exposed that the city airport is not safe for flight operations due to the menace of animals on the runway. TOI has reported several times that animals like deer, monkeys, dogs and pigs frequent the airport operational area.
On the same lines, stray dogs were seen welcoming passengers on the tarmac while boarding aircraft; monkeys and pigs run across the runway. These animals endanger passengers, since they can cause major mishaps if they hit aircraft while landing and take off.
02/07/11 Times of India

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Categories: Airports Jul 2011, Safety Jul 2011