More than 90 people worked for 24 hours in incessant rains to pull out the SpiceJet aircraft weighing 41 tonnes that kept the primary runway of Mumbai airport shut and disrupted operations at the country’s second busiest airport.
“The advantage was that our aircraft recovery kit is based in Mumbai itself, so our men were on the ground quickly,” said H R Jagannath, chief executive of Air India Engineering Services Limited (AIESL), which carried out the operation.
It was not a new incident for the team as AIESL has carried out similar operations, including retrieving a Turkish Airlines A-330 which kept the Kathmandu Airport shut for more than 48 hours.
“Air India is the custodian for the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia and a small section of the Gulf for the International Airlines Technical Pool, known as IATP. Member airlines pay us for carrying out such operations,” Jagannath said.
IATP is a convention of airlines started 59 years ago to promote safety in the skies. It is a not-for-profit, independent and non-political global organisation. Among the 101 international airlines members which pay a premium to IATP are Jet Airways, Lufthansa, British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and, of course, Air India.
But Mumbai rains worsened the condition.
Before work could start on the site, it had to be ensured that the condition of the ground is such that it is able to withstand the weight of the aircraft. “In Mumbai, incessant rains made the job more challenging as it was making the ground softer, we had to ensure ground was levelled using gravel, stones and sand,” he said.
This was simultaneously being carried out along with developing the recovery plan. Aircraft Recovery Plan (ARP) is developed based on the local conditions, along with discussions with the airport operator and the airline operator. An airport operator would want the aircraft to be removed as soon as possible to normalise operation but the airline’s concern will be to minimise the damage to the aircraft. Airports like Mumbai which operate with a single runway are faced with the difficult challenge of obtaining equipment via ground transportation, which significantly delays the receipt of the critically needed equipment and causes longer runway closure times.
“We had to ensure that the aircraft is retrieved fast, quickly but with as little damage as possible, we got fast access to the site along with recovery kit,” Jagannath said.
The equipment weighs about seven tonnes and consists of inflated airbags. The airbags help in raising the aircraft from the ground, making it possible to check the landing gear to find out the extent of the damage.
Jagannath explained that it takes about 30 minutes to inflate each bag and all bags need to be inflated simultaneously to be put into the designated areas of the aircraft. “This is the most crucial part as there are four or five points where the airbags can be put, it has to be done with proper care and takes time,” he said.
More than 24 hours later after it skid-off the runway, the aircraft was pulled out and towed away to the hangar. “These are unforeseen situations, I am glad that we could do the job in as little time,” he said.
This was one of the biggest disruptions on the main runway at Mumbai airport since September 2005, when it took three days to remove a Turkish Airlines’ A340 aircraft from the runway.
