Indian Aviation News
Every touchdown faces a threat
by Bipin Shah Self Employed
Bipin Shah 
Self Employed
Severely short-staffed DGCA leaves several airports unlicensed, leaving them to adhere to norms by themselves
If India?s aviation regulator were to decide one day to go strictly by its own book, flights to many of the country?s airports would be grounded.
As many as 70% of India?s public airports are not licensed, meaning claims arising from any accident on them wouldn?t be binding on insurance companies.
Fortunately for Air India, the Mangalore airport was one of those with a valid licence when a flight operated by its low-cost international affiliate, Air India Express, crashed on 22 May, killing at least 158 passengers and crew.
The airport was on 16 December given a licence valid for six months by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), according to data provided by the Airports Authority of India (AAI).
?Because it is against the rule if they (aircraft) land, insurance will not be available if the field is not licensed,? said V. Krishnan, a former general secretary of the Air Traffic Control Guild and retired deputy director of aerodromes at AAI, which manages state-owned airports.
Licensing of airports, which would follow a thorough inspection of the facilities, is crucial to detect deficiencies that need to be corrected to avoid safety lapses and potential accidents.
Indian airports are riddled with flaws ranging from runway markings that don?t conform to International Civil Aviation Organization (Icao) standards, and incorrect and infrequent runway friction testing methods to a severe shortage of air traffic controllers (ATCs) to monitor flight movements, said air safety expert Mohan Ranganathan.
As of October, India had 1,640 ATCs against a sanctioned strength of 2,162, according to a report by the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation?s India office. The shortage means additional workload and stress on the existing ATCs.
?We know the conditions at Indian airports,? said a senior official with a domestic insurance company that deals with aviation insurance, who declined to be identified. ?Internationally, there is a ruling, there is a norm that there can?t be insurance in case of an unlicensed aerodrome. For insurance here, the reinsurers puts in a condition?if there is an aerodrome (which is) not licensed, they put a limit to the liability.?
Of some 80 operational public airports in India, only 23 have gone through a licensing check by the regulator since 2006, when the licensing policy was first framed. In addition, the regulator has licensed 18 non-public airports run by corporate houses such as Jindal Steel and Power Ltd in Raigarh (Chhattisgarh), Adani Group in Mundra (Gujarat) and Sahara group in Aamby Valley (Maharashtra).
Aug 11th 2010 00:19
Self EmployedSeverely short-staffed DGCA leaves several airports unlicensed, leaving them to adhere to norms by themselves
If India?s aviation regulator were to decide one day to go strictly by its own book, flights to many of the country?s airports would be grounded.
As many as 70% of India?s public airports are not licensed, meaning claims arising from any accident on them wouldn?t be binding on insurance companies.
Fortunately for Air India, the Mangalore airport was one of those with a valid licence when a flight operated by its low-cost international affiliate, Air India Express, crashed on 22 May, killing at least 158 passengers and crew.
The airport was on 16 December given a licence valid for six months by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), according to data provided by the Airports Authority of India (AAI).
?Because it is against the rule if they (aircraft) land, insurance will not be available if the field is not licensed,? said V. Krishnan, a former general secretary of the Air Traffic Control Guild and retired deputy director of aerodromes at AAI, which manages state-owned airports.
Licensing of airports, which would follow a thorough inspection of the facilities, is crucial to detect deficiencies that need to be corrected to avoid safety lapses and potential accidents.
Indian airports are riddled with flaws ranging from runway markings that don?t conform to International Civil Aviation Organization (Icao) standards, and incorrect and infrequent runway friction testing methods to a severe shortage of air traffic controllers (ATCs) to monitor flight movements, said air safety expert Mohan Ranganathan.
As of October, India had 1,640 ATCs against a sanctioned strength of 2,162, according to a report by the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation?s India office. The shortage means additional workload and stress on the existing ATCs.
?We know the conditions at Indian airports,? said a senior official with a domestic insurance company that deals with aviation insurance, who declined to be identified. ?Internationally, there is a ruling, there is a norm that there can?t be insurance in case of an unlicensed aerodrome. For insurance here, the reinsurers puts in a condition?if there is an aerodrome (which is) not licensed, they put a limit to the liability.?
Of some 80 operational public airports in India, only 23 have gone through a licensing check by the regulator since 2006, when the licensing policy was first framed. In addition, the regulator has licensed 18 non-public airports run by corporate houses such as Jindal Steel and Power Ltd in Raigarh (Chhattisgarh), Adani Group in Mundra (Gujarat) and Sahara group in Aamby Valley (Maharashtra).
Aug 11th 2010 00:19
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