Airports violating safety norms across India, Captain Ranganathan tells TNM
Follow TNM’s WhatsApp channel for news updates and story links.At least 200 people are feared dead after an Air India flight bound for London crashed just minutes after taking off from Ahmedabad airport on Thursday afternoon, June 12. The incident has drawn sharp criticism from aviation safety experts.Speaking to The News Minute, Captain Mohan Ranganathan described the tragedy as a wake-up call for Indian aviation.In an interview with TNM’s Senior News Editor Shabbir Ahmed, Captain Ranganathan said, “An airport is not just a runway and fancy buildings. They want to expand. But when you look at the surroundings, very few airports like Cochin, Bangalore and Hyderabad are built with a safe environment — none of the others.”He pointed out that the majority of airports in India are violating norms laid down by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). “In a diameter of 13 kilometres, the area should not have garbage dumps, slaughterhouses — and rules like these have been violated everywhere because of political reasons,” he said.“I can bet the investigators would try to either blame Air India maintenance or the aircraft, and would definitely blame the pilots. But they will not accept that there were birds there,” he added.The aviation safety expert also stressed that training and safety should be prioritised over profitability. He expressed concern over the immediate disclosure of the names of the pilot, co-pilot, and crew, citing the trauma their families endure.He further noted that while international airlines have trauma centres to assist crash survivors, India still lacks such a facility.To watch Captain Mohan Ranganathan’s full interview, click the link below:https://youtu.be/iO-dxrstgP0?si=Ub68R5VCubq2oyTK
Follow TNM’s WhatsApp channel for news updates and story links.
At least 270 people are feared dead after an Air India flight bound for London crashed just minutes after taking off from Ahmedabad airport on Thursday afternoon, June 12. The incident has drawn sharp criticism from aviation safety experts.
Speaking to The News Minute, Captain Mohan Ranganathan described the tragedy as a wake-up call for Indian aviation.
In an interview with TNM’s Senior News Editor Shabbir Ahmed, Captain Ranganathan said, “An airport is not just a runway and fancy buildings. They want to expand. But when you look at the surroundings, very few airports like Cochin, Bangalore and Hyderabad are built with a safe environment — none of the others.”
He pointed out that the majority of airports in India are violating norms laid down by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). “In a diameter of 13 km, the area should not have garbage dumps and slaughterhouses — and rules like these have been violated everywhere because of political reasons,” he said.
“I can bet the investigators would try to either blame Air India maintenance or the aircraft, and would definitely blame the pilots. But they will not accept that there were birds there,” he added.
The aviation safety expert also stressed that training and safety should be prioritised over profitability.
He further noted that while international airlines have trauma centres to assist crash survivors, India still lacks such a facility.
To watch Captain Mohan Ranganathan’s full interview, click the link below:
