The Hindu Business Line : Accident averted at Kolkata airport

Kolkata, Jan 1 A major accident at the Kolkata airport was averted when the pilot of an Air India flight carrying 449 Haj pilgrims noticed a cargo aircraft on the primary runway just as it was about to land at the same runway.

The pilot of the Air India flight, carrying passengers from Jeddah to Kolkata, aborted the landing, which was scheduled at around 8.20 a.m. on Wednesday and landed only after the cargo aircraft was ordered to take off by the air traffic control.

Poor visibility

“The Guwahati-bound Air Alliance flight was supposed to wait at the holding position but the pilot mistakenly entered the primary runway and it remained undetected by the ATC staff because of dense fog in the early morning hours,” said Mr P.K. Singhal, Executive Director at the airport. The Air India flight was, therefore, given clearance for landing by the ATC but the pilot noticed the cargo aircraft on the runway from only 300 feet above ground, he said. An enquiry has been ordered.

Control system soon

A new Airport Surface Movement Ground Control System, to be installed at the Kolkata airport within three months to track vehicular movement inside the airfield, could help avoid such mishaps, Mr Singhal said. The new system, already prevalent in Mumbai and Delhi airports, would help the ATC provide necessary information to pilots on movements of vehicles and aircraft on ground, which would be equipped with transponders, he added.

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