DGCA directs airport operators to compulsorily conduct periodic checks of runway surface

Aviation regulator DGCA on Tuesday directed all airport operators to carry out compulsory periodic inspection of runway surface.

The directive also comes against the backdrop of multiple incidents in recent months wherein planes overshot runways and many of them happened in wet conditions during rainfall.

A senior official told PTI that airport operators have to mandatorily conduct "periodic friction test and rubber removal" to ensure that runways are in proper condition.

With the latest directive, major airports including those at Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru would have to carry out every week friction measurement for runways.

Friction test assesses the resistance of a runway, a key factor for effective braking of an aircraft at the time of landing.

The skid-resistance of runway pavement deteriorates due to a number of factors, the two pre-dominant ones being mechanical wear and polishing action from aircraft tyres rolling or braking on the pavement, and the accumulation of ...