A team of officials from Air India headquarters in Delhi flew down here on Monday to conduct the safety assessment and compatibility study to resume the operation of wide-bodied aircraft under Code E at Calicut International Airport.
Members attached to wings of the Operations, Engineering and Ground Handling of the official carrier began the compatibility study and safety assessment in accordance with the International Civil Aviation Organisation requirements. This included the proposed risk mitigation plan for identified hazards.
The compatibility study is being conducted for the operation of Boeing777-200 Extended Range, Boeing 777-200 Longer Range, Airbus 330-300, Airbus 330-300R, Boeing 777-300 Extended Range and Boeing 787-800 Dreamliner.
Airlines companies are permitted to operate specific type of an aircraft based on Aerodrome Reference Field Length that refers to the minimum field length required for an aircraft to take off at sea level in still air and runway slope.
Saudia submits report
At present, only Saudia (Saudi Arabian Airlines), one of the Haj flight operators from India, has submitted a detailed report to the Airports Authority of India (AAI). However, the airline is yet to get approval from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
Last year, the DGCA had asked the airline companies, including Emirates, that conducted services using wide-bodied aircraft to West Asian destinations to submit their reports.
The operation of wide-bodied aircraft was banned at the Calicut airport from May 2015 in the wake of the Court of Inquiry report on the Air India Express Boeing 737 crash in Mangaluru in May 2010. One of reasons cited was that the tabletop runway had only a length of 2,850 metres designed to operate only narrow-bodied (Code- D) aircraft. Besides, the Runway End Safety Area (RESA) of the airport was inadequate.
Now, after the completion of RESA expansion work in June, the length of the runway has been reduced to 2,700 metres. However, AAI authorities felt that the runway was suitable for the resumption of wide-bodied aircraft, at least Boeing 777-200, which the DGCA and the AAI said was compatible for the airport.
