Air India Express has no plans to exclude the Calicut International Airport from its operating schedule despite last Friday’s mishap which saw one of its aircraft overshooting the runway and falling into a gorge, killing 18 people on board including the pilot and co-pilot in the process.
“It is our promise to the departed captain that we maintain 100 per cent of our schedule and uphold our integrity despite the horrific accident. There was no cancellation or delay in the Air India Express network on Saturday and Sunday when it operated a flight to Abu Dhabi from Calicut,” an official said.
The response was in the context of reports that the airline was mulling the possibility of diverting wide-bodied jets from Calicut to other airports following Friday’s mishap.
A ceremonial farewell was given to Commander Capt Deepak Vasant Sathe by pilots and crew members of Air India Express when his mortal remains arrived at the Cochin International Airport on Sunday afternoon. The mortal remains of the First officer Capt Akhilesh Kumar were taken to his home town Mathura.
Meanwhile, the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has started an investigation into the accident with the help of flight safety officials. The team took statements from the cabin crew who suffered minor injuries. They inspected the site along with officials from the Airports Authority of India and Air Traffic Control. They also recovered two black boxes.
Meanwhile, industry stakeholders have called for a full-scale safety audit of the airport. The demand assumes significance following the DGCA’s show-cause notice to the Airport Director last year after it found critical issues with the 2,860-metre runway, including water stagnation and excessive rubber deposits.
There are reports that local communities in the vicinity of the airport are also against land acquisition for the development of the runway and the table-top RESA (Runway End Safety Area). The team assigned for the job could not complete the process for three consecutive years. The land acquisition office, which has been in operations for more than a decade, could not acquire an inch of land following public protest.