Latest news with #CSRandhawa
Time of India
6 days ago
- General
- Time of India
Indian airports see three bird strikes a day, says DGCA in RTI reply
Hyderabad: Indian airports are recording at least three bird strikes daily, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has revealed in a reply to a Right to Information (RTI) request. As per the RTI reply, the confirmed bird strikes reported to the DGCA during 2024 stood at 1,278. When comparing this with data from the civil aviation ministry for preceding years, such incidents witnessed a twofold increase over the past six years. In 2019, the annual bird hit count was 528. The situation has become particularly concerning in recent times, with four aircraft being forced to make an emergency landing in the last month. On July 9, a Delhi-bound flight carrying 169 passengers encountered a bird strike immediately after taking off from Patna airport and returned to its origin. You Can Also Check: Hyderabad AQI | Weather in Hyderabad | Bank Holidays in Hyderabad | Public Holidays in Hyderabad The MoCA data shows that among all cities, Delhi recorded the highest number of bird strikes during 2020–23, with 512 incidents. Mumbai followed with 260 incidents, Ahmedabad with 226, and Bengaluru with 214 bird strikes. Hyderabad registered 143 bird strikes during the same period. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like American Investor Warren Buffett Recommends: 5 Books For Turning Your Life Around Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo Aviation experts say that aircraft encounters with birds predominantly happen when planes are closest to the ground, specifically during take-off, early ascent, and landing. These incidents are frequent at lower altitudes where birds are typically found in greater numbers. The likelihood of such collisions is influenced by various factors, including the natural behaviour of birds, surrounding habitats, and seasonal migration routes, experts said. 'When birds collide with aircraft engines, it necessitates switching to an alternate engine and executing an emergency landing. Similarly, bird strikes on the windshield require immediate action. Certain types of damage, particularly to components like wings, become apparent only after the aircraft lands. These collisions typically happen at lower altitudes, around 2,000 feet, although bird strikes can occur even when aircraft are flying at 10,000 feet,' said Capt CS Randhawa, president, Federation of Indian Pilots, told TOI. According to GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd (GHIAL), robust and technology-driven bird control strategies, including high-frequency acoustic devices, have been deployed near the runways to deter bird movement. Trained staff use firecrackers at regular intervals to create sound deterrents during active runway hours, while grass near operational areas is routinely cleared to remove nesting opportunities and prevent food waste and litter accumulation around the airport premises. 'While the airport continues to strengthen in-house measures, maintaining airside safety is also influenced by surrounding land use. Nearby areas such as Katedan and Jalpally, which house some waste-processing units, have occasionally been flagged for non-compliance with environmental norms,' said an official in GHIAL. Vultures give way to black kites According to 'Wildlife Collisions to Aircraft in India - A Comparative Analysis of Hazardous Species Involved in Different Time Periods', the number of species involved in bird hits has almost doubled. Serious strikes due to vultures are negligible, with black kites now accounting for most of the hits. In the recent past, black kites are the cause of the highest damage and also have the highest probability of causing damage (61.17%) when struck. The number of damage-causing incidents involving various critical species for the period from 2005 to 2018 includes bats, lapwings, swifts, rock pigeons, larks, thick-knees, sparrows, swallows, doves, cattle egrets, and Indian rollers, the study added. GFX 1 States with highest number of bird hits (2020-23): City Bird hits Delhi 512 Mumbai 260 Ahmedabad 226 Bengaluru 214 Chennai 144 Hyderabad 143 Kochi 139 Kolkata 93 GFX: 2 Breakdown of species involved (2005 to 2018) Species Total incidents Black kite 85 Bats 68 Lapwings 82 Swifts 75 Rock pigeons 40 Lark 52 Swallows 60 Indian roller 18 18 Dove 20 Others 238
New Indian Express
21-07-2025
- General
- New Indian Express
Indian airports lack advanced CAT III landing system
BENGALURU: While global aviation standards have progressed by leaps and bounds, those in India still lag, reflected by its lack of a Category III Instrument Landing System (ILS) ecosystem. In the absence of this global standard that assists one of the most critical phases of flying (landing), Indian aviation remains open to inquiry. ILS is a mechanism that can land aircraft safely with the help of guiding systems that add another layer of safety and precision over visual approach. It is divided into three categories, and each category is further divided into three sub-categories (A, B, C). Each level-up allows a flight crew to land safely in worse visibility, with Category III allowing safe landing with up to zero visibility. Many Indian pilots are not trained for Category III approaches, not only because of a lack of push from carriers, but also due to acute lack of Category III ILS on ground. As per a report published by the Ministry of Civil Aviation on February 8, 2024, 'There are total six airports in India where Runway is certified for CAT III (Low visibility) operations at Delhi, Lucknow, Jaipur, Amritsar, Bengaluru and Kolkata (sic).' The country has 487 operational airports in all. A spokesperson from the KIA, requesting anonymity, said, 'The airports usually do not maintain data about reasons for delay. It only says bad weather, and gives no details about the flight or the pilot.' Capt Anil Rao, General Secretary, Airlines Pilots Association of India, stressed, 'Many airports (like Pune and Bagdogra) are actually military airfields, where civil operations are performed under restrictions. Most of these airfields operate under visual flying conditions. The Airports Authority of India should intervene (to implement Category II-III ILS for low-visibility operations).'Capt CS Randhawa, president, Federation of Indian Pilots, said, 'In India, most airports are Category I. The ground equipment is not compliant in many cases.' He said, 'First, the Airports Authority of India and private players like Adani need to ensure that the basic on-ground equipment is present at airports. Under the Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik (UDAN) scheme, there are a lot of airfields without ILS at all. Most have only Visual Flight Rules (VFR) with no ground aids. You need 5 km of visibility to land.'
Mint
20-07-2025
- Business
- Mint
Air India plane crash: Aviation minister defends AAIB amid Western media criticism – ‘No point in jumping to…'
Calling the Ahmedabad Air India plane crash reports published by the western media as their 'vested interests', the Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu on Sunday said that there was no point jumping to conclusions before the AAIB report comes out. 'AAIB has made an appeal to all, especially Western media houses, which may have a vested interest in the kind of articles they are trying to publish,' Naidu said. 'I believe in AAIB. They have done a wonderful job in decoding the black box in India itself. Making any comments until the final report comes out is not a good exercise. There is no point in jumping to conclusions at this point,' he added. The civil aviation minister was referring to the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) preliminary report, released on July 12, on the crash of Air India's Boeing 787-8 plane that killed 260 people, including 241 people onboard. The aircraft, which was operating the flight AI171 from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick, crashed into a building soon after takeoff. Seconds before Air India flight 171 crashed while ascending from Ahmedabad, the fuel control switches of both its engines were cut off, according to the preliminary investigation report, suggesting a catastrophic pilot error in the cockpit of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. A 15-page preliminary investigation report into the disaster revealed that fuel-control switches of the two engines moved from the "run" to the "cutoff" position, within the space of one second, leading to immediate loss of altitude. In the cockpit voice recording, one pilot is heard asking the other why he cut off the fuel. The other denied having done so. The report by the AIIB neither concluded any reason for the switches moving nor apportioned explicit blame for the crash. It also did not identify the pilots in the voice recording. But it also said no fault was found in the aircraft. The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) President Captain CS Randhawa on Saturday called out The Wall Street Journal and Reuters, accusing them of not basing their reports on factual content while highlights the AIIB's preliminary report on the AI-171 plane crash. Captain CS Randhawa's strong remark followed the FIP's initiation of legal action through a formal notice to The Wall Street Journal and Reuters. They have also sought an official apology. Strongly criticising the WSJ and Reuters, Randhawa blamed them for "misleading" the public, alleging that their reports are "not based on factual content." "I would totally blame the Wall Street Journal for misleading the public, they come out with their own conclusions. Are they the investigative body? They're talking all this crap around the world. They are not the investigative body, and the reports are not based on any factual content, which is mentioned in the preliminary report. So, how can they jump to conclusions and give press statements around the world?" he told ANI. Captain Randhawa said that FIP has issued a legal notice asking them to issue a statement in the press, giving an explanation of their reportage of the AAIB preliminary reports. "We strongly condemn it, and we've also issued legal notices to the Wall Street Journal and Reuters. We have clearly said that how can you jump to these conclusions which are not part of the preliminary report of the AAIB? How can you blame the pilots? So we have asked for an explanation and have asked that you give a statement to the press." he said.
Mint
20-07-2025
- Politics
- Mint
Air India plane crash: Aviation minister slams ‘vested interests' of Western media: ‘No point in jumping to conclusions'
Calling the Ahmedabad Air India plane crash reports published by the western media as their 'vested interests', the Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu on Sunday said that there was no point jumping to conclusions before the AAIB report comes out. 'AAIB has made an appeal to all, especially Western media houses, which may have a vested interest in the kind of articles they are trying to publish,' Naidu said. 'I believe in AAIB. They have done a wonderful job in decoding the black box in India itself. Making any comments until the final report comes out is not a good exercise. There is no point in jumping to conclusions at this point,' he added. The civil aviation minister was referring to the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) preliminary report, released on July 12, on the crash of Air India's Boeing 787-8 plane that killed 260 people, including 241 people onboard. The aircraft, which was operating the flight AI171 from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick, crashed into a building soon after takeoff. Seconds before Air India flight 171 crashed while ascending from Ahmedabad, the fuel control switches of both its engines were cut off, according to the preliminary investigation report, suggesting a catastrophic pilot error in the cockpit of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. A 15-page preliminary investigation report into the disaster revealed that fuel-control switches of the two engines moved from the "run" to the "cutoff" position, within the space of one second, leading to immediate loss of altitude. In the cockpit voice recording, one pilot is heard asking the other why he cut off the fuel. The other denied having done so. The report by the AIIB neither concluded any reason for the switches moving nor apportioned explicit blame for the crash. It also did not identify the pilots in the voice recording. But it also said no fault was found in the aircraft. The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) President Captain CS Randhawa on Saturday called out The Wall Street Journal and Reuters, accusing them of not basing their reports on factual content while highlights the AIIB's preliminary report on the AI-171 plane crash. Captain CS Randhawa's strong remark followed the FIP's initiation of legal action through a formal notice to The Wall Street Journal and Reuters. They have also sought an official apology. Strongly criticising the WSJ and Reuters, Randhawa blamed them for "misleading" the public, alleging that their reports are "not based on factual content." "I would totally blame the Wall Street Journal for misleading the public, they come out with their own conclusions. Are they the investigative body? They're talking all this crap around the world. They are not the investigative body, and the reports are not based on any factual content, which is mentioned in the preliminary report. So, how can they jump to conclusions and give press statements around the world?" he told ANI. Captain Randhawa said that FIP has issued a legal notice asking them to issue a statement in the press, giving an explanation of their reportage of the AAIB preliminary reports. "We strongly condemn it, and we've also issued legal notices to the Wall Street Journal and Reuters. We have clearly said that how can you jump to these conclusions which are not part of the preliminary report of the AAIB? How can you blame the pilots? So we have asked for an explanation and have asked that you give a statement to the press." he said. "And if they don't do it, then we'll see further action," he added.
Hans India
20-07-2025
- Hans India
Pilots' body slams WSJ, Reuters over AI-171 flight crash reports
New Delhi: The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) has issued a legal notice to The Wall Street Journal and Reuters, accusing both the global media outlets of publishing misleading and speculative reports about the Air India Flight 171 crash, which claimed over 250 lives in Ahmedabad last month. FIP president Captain CS Randhawa said the reports were not based on facts mentioned in the official preliminary report released by India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB). 'They are not the investigative body, so how can they jump to conclusions?' asks Randhawa. 'They're spreading all this around the world that's not even in the report. It's totally misleading.' Western media reports suggested that the crash may have been caused by errors or actions from the cockpit crew, statements which the FIP says were completely absent from the AAIB's official findings.
