Hyderabad: The skies are silent. The big steel birds, which used to soar high with that deafening sound, are now resting, having turned the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport into a gigantic bird nest.
But the airport, which used to witness a daily air traffic movement of about 550 before the lockdown, is still a beehive of activity. And that is because all the steel birds, ranging from the A320s to the Boeing 737s and the ATRs, require more maintenance while they are on the ground than when they are flying.
According to RGIA officials, there are over 50 aircraft that are grounded at the RGIA, belonging to different airlines, from Air India to Spice Jet to Indigo and so on.
And each of these aircraft have teams attending to them so that they are ready for take-off as soon as the lockdown is lifted.
While the airport does charge a parking fee, the rest of the affairs are taken care of by the airlines and the original equipment manufacturers as per a strict protocol. And this, each of the aircraft being multi-crore machines, is adhered to the hilt to ensure there are no damages at all when the machines are grounded.
According to YS Rao, Station Head and GM (Engineering), Air India Engineering Services Limited, there are engineering teams working in shifts even during the lockdown to make sure that the airworthiness of the aircraft is intact. There are checklists, he says, for one month and if the grounded period extends beyond one month, another one too. The second checklist, since the lockdown has gone beyond one month, is being followed now.
The preservation checklist, as it is called, lists all that has to be done, from checking the wheels, brakes, systems, starting the engine every 15 days, regular fuel sampling and so on.
29/04/20 Dennis Marcus Mathew/Telangana Today
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But the airport, which used to witness a daily air traffic movement of about 550 before the lockdown, is still a beehive of activity. And that is because all the steel birds, ranging from the A320s to the Boeing 737s and the ATRs, require more maintenance while they are on the ground than when they are flying.
According to RGIA officials, there are over 50 aircraft that are grounded at the RGIA, belonging to different airlines, from Air India to Spice Jet to Indigo and so on.
And each of these aircraft have teams attending to them so that they are ready for take-off as soon as the lockdown is lifted.
While the airport does charge a parking fee, the rest of the affairs are taken care of by the airlines and the original equipment manufacturers as per a strict protocol. And this, each of the aircraft being multi-crore machines, is adhered to the hilt to ensure there are no damages at all when the machines are grounded.
According to YS Rao, Station Head and GM (Engineering), Air India Engineering Services Limited, there are engineering teams working in shifts even during the lockdown to make sure that the airworthiness of the aircraft is intact. There are checklists, he says, for one month and if the grounded period extends beyond one month, another one too. The second checklist, since the lockdown has gone beyond one month, is being followed now.
The preservation checklist, as it is called, lists all that has to be done, from checking the wheels, brakes, systems, starting the engine every 15 days, regular fuel sampling and so on.
29/04/20 Dennis Marcus Mathew/Telangana Today
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