Kozhikode airport authorities submit safety assessment report

Kozhikode: The Calicut International Airport has submitted the safety assessment report to the DGCA to enable resumption of operation of wide-bodied aircraft from the airport.

The DGCA had suspended operation of wide-bodied aircraft from the airport in August last year after the crash of the Air India Express flight which overshot the runway on August 7. The jumbo flight operations were suspended even though the aircraft involved in the crash was not a wide-bodied one.

In a bid to recommence operation of wide bodied aircraft, the airport has submitted the joint safety assessment report conduct by it along with the airlines apart from the standard operating procedure of the Saudi Arabian Airlines. Currently only Saudia has submitted the revised SOP and other operators, including Air India, Emirates and Qatar Airways, are expected to submit it soon.

The DGCA had earlier taken the stand that the suspension of jumbo aircraft was to be in force during the monsoon months.

Following the demands raised by MPs from the region, a DGCA expert had carried out inspections at the airport and has asked the airlines and the airport authorities to review the safety assessment. A joint meeting of AAI and airline firms was held on January 5, in which the airlines were asked to submit revised SOP.