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Open abattoir increases chances of bird hit near Patna airport: Experts
Airport authorities have been raising the issue of the open abattoir and meat shops near the airport with the state government for over a decade, but no action has been taken yet.
PATNA: Patna airport is not new to bird hits, thanks to an open abattoir and butcher shops around the airport.
A Delhi-bound SpiceJet aircraft carrying 191 people, including two infants, caught fire after a bird hit at around noon on Sunday, soon after take-off from Patna, but was able to make an emergency landing back at the airport without any harm to the crew and passengers, officials said.
A SpiceJet statement later said: “On takeoff, during rotation, cockpit crew suspected bird hit on engine 01. As a precautionary measure… the captain shut down the affected engine and decided to return to Patna.”
The aviation regulator has ordered an inquiry into the matter.
At least five bird hits, two involving IndiGo aircraft and three GoAir flights, were reported in August 2014, according to data available with the Airports Authority of India. The frequency of bird hits has grown over the years, airport officials said, although no data on it was readily available on Sunday.
Airport authorities have been raising the issue of the open abattoir and meat shops near the airport with the state government for over a decade, but no action has been taken yet.
A solution for the butcher shops was being worked out, according to Chandrashekhar Singh, district magistrate of Patna, who is a member of the airport environment committee presided by the Patna divisional commissioner.
“We have demolished the meat shops from time to time. We have now asked the municipal corporation to make permanent arrangements for the meat vendors at a location away from the airport,” said Singh.
The civil aviation authorities, in a notice to airmen, cautioned pilots about the bird menace at Patna airport.
Whatever the fact behind Sunday’s incident, in which 185 passengers escaped unhurt, there are several factors that contribute to making Patna airport one of the most dangerous in the country.
With a runway length of just 2,072 metres — of which 1,938 metres is for landing from the east, and 1,677 metres for landing from the west— the Patna airport is prone to air disasters.
The runway length required for safe landing of Boeing 737s and Airbus A320s is 2,300 metres, according to the US Federal Aviation Administration.
“It goes without saying that the Patna airport is one of the critical airports in India for a long time, primarily due to its short runway length. We did address some issues, like constructing the runway-end safety area, which is a 90 x 90 metres sandpit to prevent an aircraft from overrunning the runway,” said Arvind Dubey, retired director of Patna airport. “Many steps are still being taken towards enhancing its safety.”
The alternative to the Patna airport at Bihta, an airforce base, has overstepped its 2021 deadline. It is now expected to be completed by the end of 2023.
Unlike other airports, Patna airport is located right in the middle of the state capital, making the people residing around it vulnerable. As per an assessment done by the Airports Authority of India in May 2012, there were around 101 structures, including the heritage clock tower of the state secretariat building, telecom towers, railway cabin, hoardings, multi-storied apartments, etc., which had come up in violation of the prescribed height around the airport.
“One has to live with the fact that Patna airport is located in a congested area,” said Dubey.
Given the safety concerns, it was only in February 2016 that the aviation regulator issued an aerodrome licence to Patna airport.
An Alliance Air flight CD 7412 had crashed in Patna in July 2000, killing 55 passengers and crew members. Five people on the ground were killed as well.
Safety audits undertaken by the DGCA had declared it unsafe for operations. It had even threatened to re-notify the runway length and restrict air operation to smaller aircraft like turbo jets.
Patna airport is one of the fast-growing airports in India. Its average annual footfall had crossed 3.65 million in 2019. The airport handled more than 3.3 lakh passengers in April 2018, compared to 2.2 lakh in April 2017.
