Flight operations at the Cochin international airport are expected to be back to normal once the disabled aircraft is towed away by Monday evening, said V.J. Kurien, Managing Director, Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL), here.
Briefing mediapersons on a Gulf Air aircraft overshooting the runway here, he said the airport had already cleared 2,050 metres of the 3,400-metre runway for operation of small and medium-sized aircraft. Flights can now land here from the ‘09' end with the assistance of a very high frequency omni-range system and a distance-measuring equipment. ‘‘We have already informed the airlines about the status of the runway and it is now up to them to take a call,'' he said.
‘‘However, the wide-bodied ones will have to wait till Monday midnight as more time is needed to expand the operations to a length of 3,100 metres,'' he added.
Mr. Kurien said all passengers who had been deplaned were shifted to the airport medical emergency centre. Two of the passengers who suffered multiple fractures have been referred to a nearby hospital.
Attributing the incident to turbulent weather, he denied reports of a damaged runway and a defunct Instrumental Landing System causing the overshoot. ‘‘To exercise a safe landing, the pilot has to have a clear vision of the runway along with the assistance of these instruments,'' he said.
Terming the accident an unfortunate incident that could well have turned into a major tragedy, he said the passengers of the flight would have been in danger had it not stuck up in the slush.
‘‘The initial confusion and anxiety not withstanding, we could successfully coordinate the evacuation operation and complete the passenger clearance formalities within a span of 55 minutes,'' he said.
To support the rescue operations, CIAL has brought three cranes, including a bigger one with a capacity of 100 tonnes, to help lift the aircraft. For assisting the passengers stranded at the airport due to the runway closure, it has opened a help desk (phone 3053213) to provide information on revised flight timings.
