Runway fiasco: Mumbai desperate for a new airport?

Mumbai: The past one week has almost been a nightmare for the passengers and authorities at the Mumbai airport. There have been at least five near misses or technical problems in one week.
The Turkish Airlines flight stuck in mud was towed away only after three days. The incident put the main runway of the Mumbai airport out of action for three days. During that time at least 18 flights were diverted, at least two airlines canceled their flights and only 15 to 25 per cent of flights were on time.
Just one incident is all it took to throw one of India's busiest airports out of gear for three days. The Mumbai airport, that many call overburdened, sees over 700 flights a day on an average, and when things are going smoothly, only 60-70 per cent of them are on time at this airport.
While the newly refurbished main runway is now up to international standards, there are still gaping holes in the airport infrastructure.
The vital Surface Movement Radar equipment acquired in 2008, is not yet functional. The SMR is vital for monitoring ground traffic.
The secondary runway cannot be used when visibility drops below 1400 metres, as opposed to the main runway which can be used even when the visibility is 550 metres.
12/09/11 Raksha Shetty/CNN-IBN

To Read the News in full at Source, Click the Headline

Categories: airports Sep 2011