Patna: Fog is back and so are harrowing times for fliers.
Key lights essential to guide an aircraft through a thick blanket of fog are yet to be installed at the Patna airport in spite of being approved almost a year ago, on January 2. Worse, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) is unlikely to complete installation of the approach lighting system (ALS) by the end of this winter.
It has been almost a year since the state government approved the AAI proposal to install three ALS on the aircraft approach funnel — one on Peer Ali Path (Airport Road) and two in Patna zoo. Installation of these lights would reduce the minimum visibility criteria for operation of an aircraft at the city airport from the existing 1,200m to 800m.
Airport officials claim that the work would start only by the end of this month and the new lights would be operational in another three-four months.
“We have to follow a lot of procedures before starting any work. The firm for installing the approach lighting system on Airport Road and inside Patna zoo has been selected recently. It is expected to start the work by the end of this month. It would take three-four months to complete the project,” said Sono Marandi, director (in-charge), Jayaprakash Narayan International Airport.
03/12/14 Piyush Kumar Tripathi/Telegraph
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Key lights essential to guide an aircraft through a thick blanket of fog are yet to be installed at the Patna airport in spite of being approved almost a year ago, on January 2. Worse, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) is unlikely to complete installation of the approach lighting system (ALS) by the end of this winter.
It has been almost a year since the state government approved the AAI proposal to install three ALS on the aircraft approach funnel — one on Peer Ali Path (Airport Road) and two in Patna zoo. Installation of these lights would reduce the minimum visibility criteria for operation of an aircraft at the city airport from the existing 1,200m to 800m.
Airport officials claim that the work would start only by the end of this month and the new lights would be operational in another three-four months.
“We have to follow a lot of procedures before starting any work. The firm for installing the approach lighting system on Airport Road and inside Patna zoo has been selected recently. It is expected to start the work by the end of this month. It would take three-four months to complete the project,” said Sono Marandi, director (in-charge), Jayaprakash Narayan International Airport.
03/12/14 Piyush Kumar Tripathi/Telegraph
