The tragic air crash at Kozhikode, in which at least 18 people were killed, has triggered fresh hopes that the spotlight would be back on “risky” airports like the one here which suffers from many deficiencies and has seen one of the major plane accidents in the country’s history two decades back.
The Jaiprakash Narayan International Airport, reckoned among the 20 busiest ones across the country, had hit the headlines on July 17, 2000, when more than 60 people were killed when a Delhi-bound Boeing 737 from Kolkata ploughed through a residential locality. Prior to landing, the pilots sought permission for a 360-degree turn as they were “high on approach” but upon receiving clearance from the ATC, the plane “stalled shortly after commencing the 360-degree turn and crashed”.
