Issues red-flagged by DGCA in past addressed: Puri
Opp. charges baseless: Mantri
All issues such as excessive rubber deposits, water stagnation and cracks that were redflagged by aviation regulator DGCA in the past were “addressed and rectified” by the Kozhikode airport operator, said aviation minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Saturday in a series of late-night tweets while rejecting criticism from the Opposition.
He also assured that the findings of the enquiry being conducted into the crash-landing of the Air India Express flight at the Kozhikode airport would be made public, adding that the aircraft that had crashed was a Boeing 737800 (narrow-bodied aircraft) and not a wide-bodied aircraft (about which questions had been raised from some quarters).
The minister’s statement came after various news reports stated that DGCA) had issued a show cause notice to the director of the Kozhikode airport on July 11 last year after it found “various critical safety lapses” in different places, including the runway and the apron.
“Some of my colleagues in the political system have raised queries regarding Kozhikode air accident without ascertaining facts. It is indeed a fact that several issues were routinely red flagged by DGCA, & were addressed by the airport operator. These pertain to excessive rubber deposits, water stagnation, cracks & other routine issues. The short point is that raising such concerns is the normal work of DGCA. DGCA also strictly ensures that these are complied with & rectified under all circumstances. This was done by the airport operator.”
“In case of Kozhikode accident, an enquiry has been ordered under Aircraft Act, black boxes of flight IX-1344 have been recovered. Findings of this investigation will be made public... As far as wide body aircraft are concerned, DGCA had carried out a thorough assessment & prescribed comprehensive mitigation measures,” he added.