Chandigarh, September 26
Over a decade after they were last issued, the minimum safety requirements for temporary airfields and unlicensed aerodromes are being revised by the Directorate General of Civil aviation (DGCA).
Several new clauses and additional technical specifications are being incorporated in the fresh guidelines, expected to be finalised shortly after feedback from the stakeholders. These rules were last issued in March 2012.
There are number of air strips in India having limited facilities which are not being used on a regular basis for aircraft operations and hence cannot be equated with regular airports. Since regulatory oversight at such sites is difficult, it is imperative to ensure minimum facilities required for safe aircraft operations are available at such airstrips, according to the civil regulator.
The DGCA has now specified that the runway length should be adequate to meet the operational requirements of the operating aeroplane and will be not less than the length determined by applying the corrections for local conditions to the operations and performance characteristics of the operating aeroplane.
Specifications listing the dimensions of the runway required in relation to the width of the aircraft’s main gear have been drawn up by the DGCA. In addition, taxiways at such airstrips would also be required to have markings as specified in aviation rules.
A clause on runway strip and obstacles has been added in the new rules which states that a runway strip of suitable dimension be available to provide safeguard and minimize damage in case of runway excursion by an aircraft beyond the runway limits. It should be properly levelled, free from vegetation and be flush with the surface of the runway, shoulder or stopway.
Further, no fixed object, other than visual aids required for air navigation or those required for aircraft safety purposes and which must be sited on the runway strip shall be permitted on any part of on the strip. Nor will any mobile object be permitted on this part during landing or take-off.
Additional requirements for rescue and firefighting services have been incorporated. Different categories have been laid out for the arrangement and level of protection and equipment required depending on the category of the aerodrome, the length of the aircraft and width of its fuselage. The minimum amount of extinguishing agents such as water, foam, solutions, etc have been laid out depending upon the category of the aerodrome.
