Dense fog disrupts flights at Kolkata airport
Flight services went haywire on Sunday as the city woke up to a chilly morning, enveloped in a thick fog with a significant drop in visibility.
In a bid to add more teeth to civil aviation security at the Kolkata airport, the regional office of the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) conducted a meeting with the airport stakeholders, today, and is hosting a two-day virtual seminar on the same.
The recent drone attack on Jammu airport rang the alarm bells for most airports in the country under the Airports Authority of India. The seminar comes just after the Kolkata airport, some days back received a tip-off from the military liaison unit about the possibility of an explosive inside an aircraft that flew into Kolkata from Dubai.
It though later turned out to be a hoax put the airport authorities on their toes. A Kolkata airport official said, as part of the Indian government’s ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’, the regional BCAS office kicked off the two-day security seminar that was inaugurated by Jaideep Prasad, DG, BCAS, today. The Kolkata airport director, C Pattabhi briefed the gathering on various aspects of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International (NSCBI) airport.
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The CISF and airlines attended the meeting. Sources in the Kolkata airport stated that one of the issues concerning civil aviation security that is yet to see a complete solution is the extension of the secondary runway to obtain the required Runway End Safety Area (RESA).
“The secondary runway though has a RESA of more than 160 metres, the requirement is 240m,” said the source. The RESA, an extension towards the end of the runway, ensures that an aircraft does not overshoot runways after landing. The obstacle for the extension is a mosque at the northern edge of the secondary runway, said the source.
“Talks are still ongoing between airport, state and the party concerned. The airport authorities have earmarked land for the expansion project and are waiting for the state government’s nod on the matter.” Further, an airport official said several steps were taken to keep animals out of the airport since it can cause fatal accidents if it ends up on the runway during a takeoff.
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