New Delhi: Aviation regulator DGCA on Thursday issued show cause notice to the director of the Calicut International Airport after it found that some critical areas were not being maintained as per the safety standards, the sources said.
On July 2, an Air India Express flight coming from Dammam had a tail strike while landing at the Calicut International Airport.
Under directions from the DGCA, Air India Express earlier this month suspended the pilots involved in this incident.
A source told PTI, "The DGCA observed various lapses in safety standards during its inspection of Calicut airport on July 4 and July 5. Therefore, the show cause notice has been issued to the airport director K Srinivasa Rao. He will have to respond within 15 days."
The PTI has reviewed the show cause notice issued to Calicut airport director on Thursday.
The notice said that "cracks are observed at runway 28 TDZ (touchdown zone) and along runway C/L marking at runway 10 TDZ".
The touchdown zone (TDZ) is the part where the aircraft first contacts the surface while landing. The touchdown zone is ahead of the threshold area.
The notice said that "excessive rubber deposit" was observed in the area from runway C/L marking to three metres on both the sides of touchdown zone of runway 28.
Similar excessive rubber deposits were also found by the DGCA along runway C/L marking of touchdown zone of runway 10, as per the notice.
"Water stagnation of about 1.5 metre length was observed on the area between runway edge and intermediate turn pad on runway 28," the notice said.
The DGCA also found several cracks in the aircraft stand number 5. It also observed that a "portion of Apron surface" of about 111 metres as damaged. Apron is that area of the airport where the aircraft are parked, refuelled and boarded with passengers.
"A steep downward slope of approximately five feet depth is observed immediately after the apron behind of aircraft number 1, which needs to be levelled and graded," the notice said.
The DGCA also observed a shortage of reserve stock of 6,630 litres of Aqueous Film Forming Foam concentrate (AFFF) and 140 kg of "DCP complementary agent" - both are used to put out fires - at Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting (ARFF) station of the airport.
DGCA on Tuesday had also issued show cause notices to the directors of the Chennai and Ahmedabad airports for not maintaining the safety standards.
