Ranchi: Back-to-back runway tyre bursts and the never-ending threat of bird-hits have cast a shadow on touchdown safety at Birsa Munda Integrated Terminal in Ranchi within two years of its pompous debut.
On Thursday night, a GoAir flight coming from Delhi with around 160 passengers on board, including chief minister Raghubar Das, suffered a reartyre burst after landing. Fortunately, the pilot managed to taxi the aircraft safely to the parking bay.
On September 2, a six-seater air ambulance too met with a similar fate on Ranchi's runway. It had to abort its return flight to Delhi with a patient from the state capital.
Bizarrely, Birsa Munda airport authorities don't seem worried and haven't ordered any inquiry as yet.
Responding to one of the several calls made to him since morning, airport director Anil Vikram said keeping tabs on tyre bursts wasn't their job. "Why don't you ask the airline? This isn't our job. Our job is airport management," he said.
GoAir manager (Ranchi) Sushil said he could speak with certainty only after consulting airline engineers on the matter. "Everyone, even the pilots, came to know of the tyre issue only after the aircraft landed safely. What triggered the burst our engineers will tell," he said.
13/09/15 A.S.R.P. Mukesh/Telegraph
