Airports safe only on paper: Experts

Mukesh Ranjan

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Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 9

Accusing the government and civil aviation authorities of not having learnt lessons from past mishaps, most recently the Kozhikode airport crash, sector experts say several airstrips, including Jammu and Patna, are prone to accidents.

Air safety expert Capt Mohan Ranganathan told The Tribune many airports are “safe only on paper” because audits are not done as per the national and international norms.

He says: “I had warned the authorities in 2011 that the runaway at Kozhikode airport is unsafe and needs to be re-evaluated, especially in wet conditions.

“Audits are mostly done on paper. Often, safety issues are flagged and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) issues show-cause notices, but these are seldom followed up. No action is taken for non-compliance.”

In cases where there is non-compliance of the safety norms, the authorities should shut down erring airports or suspend operations till the norms are met, he says, adding only then will such airports wake up and act. “But, if you just do these things on paper, nothing will happen,” he says.

People involved in the processes need to be made accountable, else there will be a repeat of Kozhikode, warns Ranganathan.

Lawyer and aviation safety activist Yashwanth Shenoy blames aviation regulator DGCA for the prevailing scenario. “The biggest threat to the aviation sector is the DGCA itself, as it is the biggest violator of the norms. The DGCA has been headed by an IAS officer, who knows nothing about aviation. Nowhere in the world are administrators appointed as civil aviation regulator.” To avoid future accidents, “we need to comply with the existing air regulation norms”, he adds.

A former DGCA official says airports need to follow the standards set by ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organisation).

Bq

Lack of compliance

“Audits are mostly done on paper. The DGCA issues show-cause notices, but these are seldom followed up. No action is taken for non-compliance”

Capt Mohan Ranganathan, air safety expert

Shorter runways at

Jammu, Shimla, Kullu, Leh, Patna, Mangalore, Calicut, Aizwal, Agartala