Hawk-eye on choppers in UP

Lucknow: The Airport Authority of India and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has gone into an overdrive, thanks to the sudden spurt in the arrival of unscheduled aircraft and choppers at the airports/air strips across the poll-bound Uttar Pradesh.
Top sources said that the two wings of the civil aviation department are keeping a hawk-eyed vigil on the arrival of chartered choppers/aircraft and checking as to whether they are following aviation safety norms or not. The DGCA is also on the look out for the clues, if any, suggestive of the pilots compromising the safety norms under pressure of the political leaders with which they are flying around during the election campaign. At the same time, the AAI is in regular touch with the election commission, informing it about the daily movement of unscheduled aircraft/choppers.
While AAI officials refused to comment, sources said that until now, around 16 choppers and aircrafts carrying different political leaders have arrived at the Amausi airport alone in the last 10 days. The AAI began the exercise from January 7. "We are sending the report on a day-to-day basis to the election commission,'' a senior AAI official said.
17/01/12 Times of India

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Categories: Indian Aviation- In General Jan 2012