Process to resume operations of wide-body aircraft initiated
The Hindu
AAIB suggests only minor changes in functioning of Calicut airport
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and the Airports Authority of India (AAI) have initiated the process to resume operations of wide-body aircraft at the Calicut International Airport with the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), which probed the Air India Express crash last August, suggesting only minor changes in the functioning of the airport. Sources said the DGCA and the AAI would still have to make some assessments even though the report mentioned that the table-top runway surface characteristics were satisfactory. The AAI had managed to fulfil International Civil Aviation Organisation and DGCA certification requirements at the airport for certain critical areas such as Runway End Safety Area (RESA), runway lights, and approach lights. Besides, major airlines such as Air India, Emirates and Saudia (Saudi Arabian Airlines), which had earlier secured no-objection certificate for operating wide-body aircraft, would also have to make their assessment in connection with safety risk and sticking to the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP), the sources said.More Related News