Airports have been in the recent news for the wrong reasons. Many runway accidents have occurred, the Mangalore airport one most recent. How safe are our runways?
What makes airports potentially unsafe?
The Main issue connected with airport safety is the runway length. Many airports in India and other parts of Asia do not meet the required runway length of 9000 feet, which is the safety norm. Infrastructure has not developed in comparison to air traffic in most airports.
In addition to this, experienced pilots are considerably less in number, considering the number of “tricky” airports.
There are many airports that are in the special criteria as many difficulties are encountered in landing and taking off from these airports due to geographical situations.
Let us have a look at five Asian airports which have the worst reputations with respect to safety.
- Mangalore International Airport,Mangalore
Made famous by the air crash on 22nd May 2010 which killed 158 people, this airport is known to be difficult for inexperienced pilots. The airport has a table-top runway which means that it is situated on a hill and the runway is built on a flat surface of land, while the ends of the runway slope downwards. Therefore, any error of judgment in landing or take-off will cause the airplane to topple down the hill, which is what happened in May.
- Jaya Prakash International Airport, Patna
This airport has been classified as restricted international Airport by Airport Authority of India. It also has been in the news due to a reputation of being dangerous for landing. Insufficient runway length and obstructive vegetation are matters of concern. - Kathmandu International Airport, Kathmandu
This is considered as one of the top most in dangerous airports of the world, the location and special difficulties associated with landing and take-off are chiefly responsible. During landing a constant monitoring of both the altitudes as well as the proximity of mountains is required and any slips by the pilot guarantee death.
- Gilgit Airport ,Pakistan
Gilgit is a major hub for mountaineers in Pakistan. The airport is known to be unsafe due to its precarious location on the edge of a slope. It also has a very short runway.
- Tenzing Hillary Airport, Lukla
As Lukla is the starting point for most people wishing to climb Mt. Everest, this airport is quite popular. Several accidents have occurred due to the peculiar location, most happening after 2004. While landing one encounters an uphill runway and during take-off the runway is short with a deep valley below.
Pilots flying in these areas undergo specialized training as well as regular check up. The pilots should have a deep knowledge of the topography, the lie of the land,as well as the unique climatic conditions.
