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Air India Conducts Trial Landing at Arakkonam for Stranded Passengers

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

Air India has initiated steps to evacuate stranded passengers out of Chennai by conducting a trial landing at Arakkonam naval air station using an empty Airbus A320 aircraft. The move comes as Chennai airport remains closed till December 6. According to officials, Arakkonam, situated about 70 km from Chennai, has been chosen as the alternative airfield due to its modern navigation aids and long runway, making it suitable for commercial operations. This development builds on Air India's earlier efforts in evacuating thousands of people, including non-Indians, from Yemen earlier this year.

Key Takeaways:

  • Air India conducted a trial landing at Arakkonam naval air station using an Airbus A320 to assess its feasibility as an alternative airfield for evacuating stranded passengers from Chennai.
  • Arakkonam, located approximately 70 km from Chennai, was chosen due to its well-equipped airfield with modern navigation aids and one of the longest runways in the country.
  • The trial landing is a mandatory step before passenger operations can commence at the airport, as per DGCA rules.
  • Air India has experience in handling emergency evacuations, having previously evacuated thousands of people, including non-Indians, from Yemen earlier this year.
  • The airline is prepared to start operations as soon as the road from Chennai to Arakkonam clears, which is expected to be earlier than the reopening of the Chennai airport airstrip.
  • The senior AI official mentioned that the aircraft used for the trial landing was an A320 (VT AXA).
  • Many other airports near Chennai were considered, but Arakkonam was deemed the most suitable due to its accessibility and infrastructure.
  • Tambaram Air Force base was ruled out due to unusable airstrip conditions, and Tirupati was excluded due to excessive travel time from Chennai.

Statistics:

  • The trial landing was conducted using an empty Airbus A320 aircraft (A320 VT AXA).
  • Arakkonam is approximately 70 km from Chennai.
  • The Chennai airport has been shut down till December 6.
  • Air India had previously evacuated thousands of people from Yemen earlier this year.

Sources:

  • Hindustan Times
  • HT Syndication with permission from Hindustan Times. Copyright [c] HT Media Ltd. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. ( Syndigate.info ).

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