Stating that the show-cause notice served on him by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has been blown out of proportion, Calicut airport Director K. Srinivasa Rao has said the minor faults detected during the periodic inspection carried out in the airport in the first week of July are being rectified with immediate effect.
Mr. Rao told The Hindu on Friday that the DGCA wanted the airport authorities to be extra cautious in the wake of the recent incidents at Surat, Mangaluru and Mumbai.
A DGCA inspection team had made observations pertaining to technical details such as excessive rubber deposit, runway friction, water stagnation, cracks on markings at some parts of the runway and shortage of reserve stock of aqueous film forming foam (AFFF).
Mr. Rao said the runway friction issue had been solved and the rubber deposit was removed on July 8. The airport handles about 80 movements, including Code E aircraft, on a single day. “Our prime concern is to ensure the utmost safety at the airport,” he said.
He said the stagnation of water on the runway shoulder was only for a short period during heavy rain. Besides, patch works were being carried out immediately. The cracks at the touch down zone would be repaired after inspection by experts of the structural department, Mr. Rao said.
He said tenders had been floated to repair the cracked portion at the parking bays. Further, the Distant Indicating Wind Equipment had been made serviceable by the Met Department.
The Director said the Calicut airport had taken precautionary steps against fire while upgrading the level of protection from category 8 to 9 for the operation of wide-bodied aircraft under Code E.
