DIAL says 365 obstacles around airport pose a safety threat

NEW DELHI: Delhi International Airport (P) Limited (DIAL) informed the Delhi High Court on Tuesday that there are 365 obstacles around the aviation hub that may pose a threat to aircraft safety.

A bench of acting chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar directed DIAL and the local authorities to give a list of the obstacles, their nature and the action taken to remove them.

The bench questioned the DGCA as to how it granted permission for the runway even after so many obstacles.

The court made the Delhi government a party as the district collector was the authority that would ensure demolition of the obstacles on receipt of information from the directorate general of civil aviation (DGCA).

Kerala-based lawyer Yashwanth Shenoy alleged in his plea that it was easy for any terrorist to bring down a plane from Aerocity hotels as they do not have the mandatory bullet-proof windows neither sufficient security personnel.

Shenoy said the hotels said bullet-proof windows were not financially viable for them.

The Bureau of Civil Aviation, in its affidavit, said the hotels were required to have bulletproof windows. It also said the hotels have their own security mechanism to prevent any unto- ward incident.

NEO AIRCRAFT

The court directed DGCA to file an affidavit clarifying if the remaining fleet of the A-320 neo aircraft were safe and fit to fly. A plea alleged the planes are “flying coffins” or “flying missiles” due to their defective engines.

The court said the affidavit should be filed by an officer not below the rank of a joint director general and listed it for hearing on April 6.

Shenoy told the court that there have been around 100 engine failures in these aircraft in the last 19 months. But only 14 of them have been grounded while the remaining aircraft continue to ferry passengers.