The main runway of the Chennai airport could not be used for flight operations on Friday morning, for nearly an hour, as an aircraft failed to take off and was stranded at one end of the stretch.
As a result, the secondary runway was pressed into operations. The aviation safety regulator, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), has ordered an enquiry into the incident.
According to officials of Airports Authority of India (AAI), at 10.14 a.m., the flight which was to depart from the city airport to Dubai reached the Guindy end of the main runway (25 end of the runway) for take-off. “Once at the Guindy end, the pilot wanted to take a turn and then take off. But we are not sure as to why the pilot was not able to a take a turn and stopped the aircraft. Soon after the incident, the aircraft engineers had to be called and the aircraft tow tractor was brought in. It almost, took an hour, and the aircraft departed around 11.10 a.m.,” a source said.
During the period, since the secondary runway was available, some of the flights were handled from there, officials said. Airport sources said that there were some minor delays in the arrival and departure of a few of the aircrafts.
“Since the main runway was blocked for an hour, the DGCA will investigate into the issue. We will know then, if the pilot had made an error or if there was a technical or any other issue, involved in the incident,” an official said.
Published - August 09, 2024 10:42 pm IST
