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For updates on WhatsApp, share your Name, City & Email ID on WhatsApp No. 88986-30000 1. What is a ‘tabletop airport’ and how many are there in India? Relevant for GS Prelims & Mains Paper III; Disaster Management On August 7, a Boeing 737 of Air India Express (the low cost subsidiary of national carrier whatAir India) was onits a secondspecial ‘Vandeattempt, Bharat’ flight repatriation IX-1344 touched flight from down Dubai on torunway Kozhikode 10 of overshot Calicut Internationalthe runway. There Airport were at 7.40‘174 p.m.,passengers, went past 10 theinfants, runway 2 pilots end andand 4safety cabin area,crew and on board’.fell into In a valley. The fuselage split in the impact. Both pilots lost their lives; there were casualties and injuries of varying degrees among passengers. There was no fire on board. The Digital Flight Data Recorder and Cockpit Voice Recorder have been recovered. The accident has once again turned the spotlight on operations t What is a ‘tabletop airport’ and how many areo what there are in called India? ‘tabletop airports’ in India. As the name suggests, it is an airport located and built on top of a plateau or hilly surface, with one or both ends of the runway overlooking a drop. The airports in the country which Pradesh), Pakyong (Sikkim), Mangaluru (Karnataka), Kozhikode and Kannur (both Kerala). would count as “tabletops”, are namely Lengpui (Mizoram), Shimla and Kullu (Himachal A retired aviation official says there is no aviation body, the Directorate General of Civil Aviationsuch term (DGCA), as a refers‘tabletop to theseairport’ airports in any in thisInternational manner by Civil way Aviation of highlighting Organisation safety (ICAO) measures technical during document. operations But to India’s these statutoryrunways. The official adds that there are not many differences between a ‘normal’ airport and a Why‘tabletop’ are theseairport. airports drawing attention now? While there have been some aviation incidents at these airports, it was the accident in Mangaluru on May 22, 2010, that highlighted operational risks. Here, an Air India Express flight again, from Dubai to Mangaluru, overran the runway while landing on runway 24. Flight IX-812 hit an antenna and then went down a steep embankment after which there was a fire. Of the 160 passengers and 6 crew, 158 lost their lives. The case focused attention on the nature of operations to such airports, especially their shorter runways. Kozhikode has two runways of 2,700 to accommodate a safety feature called RESA, or Runway End Safety Area (of 240 metres), metres in length. It was 2,860 metres but ‘shortened’ landing, a rejected take-off, operations,which is a meansthe ICAO “to limitsays thea RESA consequences of 90 metres when is there mandatory, is an aircraft while overrun240 metres during is recommendatory. The runwaysor evenare Instrument undershoots Landing the landing System area”. (ILS) In CAT “tabletop” 1 enabled airport and the airport has a range of visual aids which include simple approach lighting. In addition, all obstacles are lit. Both runways have Required Navigation Performance approach. Website: www.prepmate.in Telegram Channel: @upscprepmate Prepmate Cengage Books Preview:https://prepmate.in/books/ Youtube channel: PrepMateEdutech For updates on WhatsApp, share your Name, City & Email ID on WhatsApp No. 88986-30000 The retired official says there have been Code E aircraft (based on wingspan) operations to Kozhikode airport. Kannur and Mangaluru too have had widebody aircraft operations. The - -Jeddah sector. largest aircraft at Kozhikode (and at any tabletop airport so far) has been Air India’s 423 Whatseater wereBoeing the ‘jumbo’ recommendations 747, operating made on the after Kozhikode the Mangaluru crash? In its report on the crash, the court of Air Marshal B.N. Gokhale, former Vice-Chief of Air Staff, Indian Air Force (and its team of aviation expert assessors) made a series of recommendations in a 191-page document of October 2010. These were addressed to the airline operator (Air India and Air India Express). To the Airports Authority of India, it a ground arresting system for aircraft pointed out issues like “avoidance of the downward slope in the overshoot area systemparticularly to alert on the‘tabletop’ pilot (while runways; landing) the needof the for remaining distance to be covered; location —of thesuch ATC a facility tower, is approachmaintained and at areaalmost radars; all airfields the role of ofthe the Indian Rescue Air and Force’; Fire a Fightingvisual reference service, aerodrome risk assessment and, finally, recommendations for the DGCA. Is there any ICAO document on operations? The retired official says there is an ICAO document 9981 for airports, which also serves as a guideline for compatibility study of the operation of larger aircraft in a comparatively smaller aerodrome. The issue of growth versus aviation services is a worldwide issue requiring the development of small aerodromes for the use of bigger aircraft in a safe manner, especially as demand for air services grows from existing airports. In this document, the elements to be assessed include aerodrome infrastructure and its ground handling capabilities, and aeroplane characteristics. Each element is assessed technically to see whether these are compatible for new types of aircraft proposed to be operated in such aerodromes. Thereafter, a proper safety assessment is done to assess the risk associated with the operation of higher category of aircraft. Risk mitigation measures are suggested in assessment report will be scrutinised by the regulatory aviation authorities and if found satisfactory,order to bring the those no objection risks within certificate “tolerable for limits”.operation Such of asuch compatibility higher category study andaircraft safety is issued. When a need was felt to upgrade services at Kozhikode, the airport undertook a runway recarpeting and strengthening exercise between 2015 and 2017. Could safety measures be better in terms of the ground infrastructure? While RESA is in vogue, the term EMAS has been tossed up, which is mandatory at all international airports in the United States. Called Engineered Materials Arrestor/Arresting System, it is made of engineered lightweight and crushable cellular cement/concrete. Used at the runway ends, it acts as a safety barrier and successfully stops an aircraft overrun. It s retarding effect increases as one moves away from the runway edge. In demonstrations in the West, it ensured good aircraft safety. It must be noted that these are ’ Website: www.prepmate.in Telegram Channel: @upscprepmate Prepmate Cengage Books Preview:https://prepmate.in/books/ Youtube channel: PrepMateEdutech For updates on WhatsApp, share your Name, City & Email ID on WhatsApp No. 88986-30000 laid in easily replaceable blocks in the overrun area. The material is engineered specifically for the airport it is to be used in, says the retired official. It is said to be ideal for use in causing any damage to the aircraft. ‘tabletop’ airports. About 75m of EMAS can serve the purpose of 240m of RESA without How are operations from a pilot’s point of view? A senior airline commander, who is also an instructor and check pilot, says that in reality, th conduct route checks for short runways. He says that one needs to understand that the landingere is techniqueno specific and training precautions that can taken be aregiven the for same ‘table for top’ all runways runways. except However, that thereairlines is - cases,no scope the for aircraft, error onfor shortobvious and/or reasons, ‘tabletop’ has runways.a much betterAs aircraft probability accident of data surviving. show, “runway overshoots” (excursion) occur as often on non ‘tabletop’ runways. But in such landings. However, an overrun by even a few metres can turn catastrophic for ‘tabletop’ runway During pilot training, the emphasis is on aiming for 1,000 ft from the beginning of the runway and landing within the touchdown zone. Pilots are also trained to execute a go around if they do not make contact within the touchdown zone. Now, the senior commander says, there is a lot of emphasis on this aspect and pilots are asked to have this unway. Further,uppermost Crew in mind Resource while Managementoperating on ais short a mandatory or ‘tabletop’ training r for all pilots following the recommendations made after the Mangaluru crash, which include classroom and simulator training. Here, the senior commander says, emphasis is placed on training the copilot to ask the commander to initiate a go around in case of an unstable approach or if the aircraft has not touched down within touchdown zone. He or she is even trained to take over as a last ditch measure in case the commander does not heed the co go around. Other than this, classroom training and simulator training are provided to pilot’s safety advice to initiate a There is a lot of training done on the simulator for landing in low visibility, heavy rain and winds.explain This various happens types during of optical initial illusions induction including training those and every caused six by months ‘tabletop’ thereafter. runways. As the monsoon is a major factor in Indian aviation, monsoon training is given during initial command training before release. The senior commander adds that certain restrictions are placed before releasing the pilot in command for monsoon operations. Such comprehensive operations. The DGCA has mandated a Monsoon Minimum Equipment List as far as aircraft operationstraining helps are in concerned. any landing Here on anyit is runway mandatory and canthat especially aircraft devices be a life used saver in in braking ‘tabletop’ or slowing such as brakes and reversers are completely operational. What is the role of the air traffic control? The ATC only has jurisdiction to provide the pilots with weather conditions including visibility, rain and winds. The minimum visibility is already prescribed, says the senior commander.

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