The Hindu : Kerala News : Rain hampers runway repair

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Oct 31, 2007
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Kerala

Kerala

Rain hampers runway repair

Abdul Latheef Naha

Runway closed at night for re-carpeting

Runway has to be dry for re-carpeting
Haj flight services during night might delay repairs

MALAPPURAM: The runway re-carpeting work at the Calicut International Airport in Karipur has run into rough weather owing to heavy rain. The airport’s runway is in poor shape, urgently needing repair to enable smooth landing and take-off of 26 flights a day.

Although the airport authorities had issued a Notam (notice to airmen) declaring closure of the runway at night from October 28, work could not be started in the past three days as rain persisted. Airport officials said the runway should be completely dry for the re-carpeting work to begin. So, repair is unlikely to start in the next few days. Even if the skies clear, Haj flight operations from the second week of November are likely to hamper the runway work.

Airport Director Chinson V.S. Panakkal said that repairs would be stopped at night to facilitate Haj operations. However, he said there would not be several night flights during this pilgrim season.

The Notam for closure of runway at night is from October 28 to March 31, 2008, the period when airlines operate their winter schedule. The Airports Authority of India (AAI) officials said it would not be possible to completely re-carpet the runway in five months. According to experts, it will require seven to eight months to re-carpet the 2,830-metre runway.

Temporary measure

Although the repairs had begun in March this year, the AAI, which owns the airport, could not make much progress owing to the monsoon. As a temporary measure, the AAI had laid a five-centimetre layer of asphalt in the middle of the runway. Airport officials said the 18-metre-wide asphalt layer laid along the length of the runway was good enough for all flights for the time being. Even a set of wheels of the Boeing 747, the largest jet currently operated from the country’s airports, are no more than 12-metre apart.

But the unprecedented rain this year badly affected the runway, leading to breaking of the new layer at many points. Incessant rain often hampered filling up of the cracks on the runway.

Bumpy ride

Pilots and passengers have been frequently complaining of bumpy ride on the runway. When flights land, water is often seen splashing from under the new layer of asphalt. “We have to rework it completely to smoothen the runway,” said Mr. Chinson.

Officials said the runway should be resurfaced to a foot height at the touchdown point, and to a minimum of 15 cm at other areas. The re-carpeting was last done in 2002.

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