Five days now without a flight

The Chandigarh airport went through a fifth consecutive day without a single flight taking or landing,and the forecast left it unlikely that flights would resume immediately.

The Chandigarh airport went through a fifth consecutive day without a single flight taking or landing,and the forecast left it unlikely that flights would resume immediately. The defunct Instrument Landing System (ILS) hasnt helped.

The airports daily schedule comprises 10 departures and arrivals connecting the city to Delhi,Mumbai and Jammu. The sudden cancellation has left passengers with two options: either wait for resumption or travel by road. We are in no position to respond to passengers queries as there is no confirmation from the airport authorities on the situation, said an official with Kingfisher Airlines.

The airport authorities have failed to replace the ILS that has been defunct for over a year and a half. They claimed the ground calibration would be complete in a day or two. After the ground calibration,the instrument will need air calibration. Once that is done,it has to clear trials before finally getting the nod. The trials will be conducted by the Airport Authority of India with the help of an aircraft and the report would be sent to the Director General of Civil Aviation, said a senior official. It is expected that all this would take another week.

The days leading to the complete disruption of flights had seen several cancellations. Also,due to the weather and the defunct ILS,some airlines have advanced their operations. Last year,the airport had gone through an entire month with not a single flight operating. The airlines have been complaining about losses suffered along with the inconvenience faced by passengers. This period of the year is considered a peak for air traffic.

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