Regulator asks major airports to acquire aircraft recovery kits

NEW DELHI: Perturbed by the partial closure of Mumbai airport for about four days after a SpiceJet aircraft overshot the runway into the mud, leading to the cancellation of hundreds of flights, the aviation regulator has asked airport operators to buy additional equipment to retrieve stuck aircraft.

“We cannot be the world’s third largest aviation market and not have the capability to retrieve an aircraft for 90 hours,” said a senior Directorate General of Civil Aviation official who did not want to be identified. “We will soon have such equipment at six airports to avoid a repeat of long closures.”