Inadequate safety area on sides of runaway and hillock perched dangerously close to runway pose serious threats, say experts

Is Mysore a Mangalore waiting to happen?

Inadequate safety area on sides of runaway and hillock perched dangerously close to runway pose serious threats, say experts

Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa inaugurated the Mandakahalli Airport, as Mysore Airport is called, on May 5, the day when civil aviation minister Praful Patel inaugurated the new terminal building of Mangalore Airport.

However, following the Mangalore crash, which claimed 158 lives, doubts expressed by experts about the safety of Mysore airport, which is located very close to the Chamundi Hills, have assumed particular significance.

The co-ordination between ATC (air traffic control) and the pilot is very crucial, according to Mohan. "The consequences would be grave if the pilot blinked for a moment.

The risk is so high that building the runway should not have been build so close to the hill. It should have built on plain land, where even expansions are easy."

Leo Saldanha, who filed a PIL questioning safety measures at Mangalore Airport blamed real estate lobbies for situating airports at inappropriate locations.

"The area around a airport is commercially valuable. With this in mind, the location is arrived at without regard for safety and standards. Mysore Airport is just another example," Saldanha said.

According to aviation experts, the Mysore Airport is not fit for big flights like Air Bus 310, Air Bus 319, Boeing 737, and Boeing 800 as the length of the runway is around 2500 m.

"The airport continues to struggle to get carriers and become commercially viable. They are forced to fly big flights risking the lives of passengers," said Mohan.
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"Incidents like the Mangalore crash happen because we are greedy.

International standards stipulate that runways must have 200 m safety on both sides. Mysore Airport has just 50 m. It is dangerous with the hillock so close," he added.

Brushing aside the concerns, Viswanath, general manager of ATC at Bangalore International Airport, said, "The fears are baseless.
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These things are taken care off when the procedures for air traffic control are drawn and pilots are made aware of what they should do while taking off or landing. Accidents happen for other reasons."

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