Reduced Jakkur runway will shut government flying training school flights: Experts

To make way for the airport metro, the government’s move to reduce the Jakkur aerodrome runway width to an estimated 413m will mean a shutdown of all flights at the Government Flying Training School (GFTS), aviation experts have warned.

The state is likely to file an affidavit before the High Court of Karnataka in this regard. The Airports Authority of India (AAI) had found after a survey that the proposed airport metro’s elevated section would be an obstacle to the runway’s approach funnel. The flying school’s new boundary wall and the elevated stretch of the national highway are also obstacles, the authority had concluded.

GFTS sources told DH that the runway length required for the flying club aircraft to operate safely is about 600m. “Flying a four-seater aircraft, it would be impossible for a trainee to take off on a 413m runway from both the 2-6 (towards highway direction) and 0-8 (opposite direction),” a pilot explained to DH.

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On the existing 854m runway, aircraft take off at about 500 to 550m. “Take-offs will be impossible if the runway length is reduced to 413m particularly in the afternoon when the heat increases and air pressure and density drops. The aircraft will then need more length to gather power.”

The more fuel an aircraft carries, the longer the required runway length. Since GFTS students fly long distances, the aircraft usually take off with a full tank in the morning. The existing runway length is ideal for this operation.

'Highly risky'

However, a reduction to 413 m could jeopardise safety, both the pilot and other GFTS sources warned. “The students are mostly trainees without any flying experience. If this kind of a runway is given to them, there can be big safety issues.”

GFTS sources were apprehensive whether the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) would permit flight operations on a reduced runway carrying such risks.