Mumbai: Citing a directorate general of civil aviation (DGCA) norm that applies to "fixed objects", Nagpur airport officials on Monday defended their decision to allow flights to land on a runway despite an aircraft being stalled on it. Aviation experts wondered how an aircraft, even though stranded, could be called a fixed object and pointed out that the norm cited by the officials pertained to navigation aids and other such immovable objects, which need to be located close to the runway, and not to an aircraft with fuel in its wings.
The problem began on Saturday around 2.30pm, when a Cessna 152 aircraft lost control while landing on runway 32. "There was no damage to the runway or installations; aircaft stopped at a distance of 90m from the runway centreline, therefore no blockade of runway and diversions," said the note sent to the DGCA office in Mumbai by MIHAN, the state government-owned company that runs the Nagpur airport.
23/04/13 Manju V/Times of India
