Runway to be closed for control tower

May 5: The controversy over the new control tower at Mumbai airport impeding air safety has been resolved with the minister for civil aviat...

May 5: The controversy over the new control tower at Mumbai airport impeding air safety has been resolved with the minister for civil aviation, C M Ibrahim indicating that the alternate runway (14/32) would be closed. “It is not possible to demolish this structure now when it is due for commissioning,” he said. Airline pilots operating from the city had warned that the tall control tower posed a threat to aircraft.

Meanwhile, the ministry is demanding compensation from the Raytheon company responsible for modernising Mumbai and Delhi airports for the delay. Ibrahim told the press the chairman of the Airports Authority of India, Ranjan Chatterjee, is looking into the matter. Ibrahim was in the city to attend a function to honour Indian Airlines officers who superannuated recently.

Sixteen retired IA employees were felicitated and presented mementoes on the occasion. As a special gesture the regional director, Western Region, the cargo manager and the commercial manager were given awards for achieving their targets.

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Ibrahim also announced cash awards of Rs 25,000 and Rs 15,000 respectively for best pilots and the best performing employee of the airline.

Ibrahim also announced the Air-India board would take the much-awaited decision on the national carrier’s Rs 2 billion project to acquire 23 medium-capacity-long-range (MCLR) aircraft at its May 15 board meeting.

According to him, the board’s decision was earlier delayed as the various committees appointed for appraisal of the offer treaded warily to avoid any unnecessary controversy.

In order to curb losses incurred by Air-India, the civil aviation ministry will review all sectors to be introduced in future. Ibrahim said the unviable sectors would be given to foreign airlines through code-sharing and A-I would augment its capacity in sectors where there was demand.

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Regarding the ministry’s decision not to permit the Tata-SIA project, Ibrahim pointed out it was a decision taken by the cabinet which would not be reversed in the near future. He said this policy would continue indefinitely since political parties across the ideological spectrum like the BJP and the communist parties were unanimously against the Tata-SIA project.