Air scare: Police jeep on runway

The pilot of a Kingfisher plane to Lucknow had to abort the flight just as it was about to take off after he noticed unexpected lights blinking on the runway at the Delhi airport.

The pilot of a Kingfisher plane to Lucknow with 94 passengers had to abort the flight just as it was about to take off on Sunday evening after he noticed unexpected lights blinking on the runway at the Delhi airport. He informed the air traffic control and rolled back to the taxiway.

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According to sources, the lights were later found to be the headlights of a Delhi police gypsy which was parked along the service road next to the runway. Sources said the vehicle was part of VIP security.

“The flight had just begun its take off roll and was at a very low speed when the commander noticed an orange light and a set of red lights at the end of the run way,” a spokesperson for the airline said.

Airport authorities were unavailable for comment. The flight finally took off after a delay of 20 minutes.

According to the airport sources, only Delhi International Airport Authority’s ‘Follow Me’ jeeps and Central Industrial Security Force’s security vehicles are allowed so close to the runway.