The Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) in Bengaluru has recently installed a disabled aircraft recovery kit. This newly installed kit will help the airport operator remove a disabled aircraft at the airport runway, thereby restoring the services at the earliest, according to a PTI report. During an aircraft incident on the runway, the transportable kit is capable of recovering Code F-compatible aircraft, ensuring that runway closure is minimized.
The state-of-the-art kit, comprised of multiple components, and customized for the requirement of KIA, includes ground preparation tools, de-bogging, aircraft lifting, towing, tethering, along with all other associated aspects of both narrow as well as wide-body aircraft, Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL), the private airport operator said.
Last year, a pact was signed by the private airport operator with German aircraft recovery kit maker Kunz GmbH to manufacture, commission, supply as well as maintain this specialized equipment. To establish a centre for disabled aircraft recovery training, Kunz GmbH will work with the airport operator as part of this agreement, making KIA the first in the region to have such a facility.
According to BIAL, disabled aircraft on the runway can cripple airport operations, resulting in delay of flight services, diversions as well as loss of revenue for airlines and airport operators. It further said that the effective recovery of disabled aircraft in the movement area addresses major risks as well as ensures that business continuity, operations, and organizational resilience remain unaffected.
Bengaluru’s KIA is the first aerodrome in India as well as in South Asia to own this kit. In the country, only Air India had this facility till now. BIAL said under the pact, the airport operator has formed a task force that will undergo extensive hands-on training, both at Bengaluru Airport and at the state-of-the-art recovery training facility of Kunz GmBh in Germany. In addition, a quick response recovery team will be formed and it will be imparted with technical knowledge, allowing them to respond to critical situations, the airport operator added.