Shivamogga Airport: DGCA imposes penalty of ₹20 lakh on KSIIDC

The Director General Civil Aviation (DGCA) has imposed a penalty of ₹20 lakh on Karnataka State Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (KSIIDC), the operator of Shivamogga Airport, for failing to comply with the aerodrome standards.

C.M. Pandey, director (Aerodrome Standards) of DGCA, in his order on September 27, imposed the penalty on M/s KSIIDC, under the Aircraft Rules, 1937. The penalty shall be deposited within 30 days of receipt of demand notice. The KSIIDC has an opportunity to file an appeal challenging the penalty before the Joint Director (Civil Aviation) within 30 days.

Inspection

A team of officials from the DGCA inspected the airport in July this year, to verify if the structure fulfils the aerodrome design and operations. They made several observations during the inspection. The rescue equipment available at the airport was “not commensurate with the level of protection provided for aircraft operations.” The rescue and firefighting (RFF) personnel were insufficient. The officers were also not satisfied with the maintenance of the Runway End Safety Area (RESA). They noticed soil erosion and abrupt slope changes on transverse sides of RESA. They were also not happy with the maintenance of the runway and runway strip.

Following the observations, the DGCA served a show cause notice on August 1, 2024. The KSIIDC filed its reply on August 10. However, the DGCA was not satisfied with the reply. “The KSIIDC has failed in employing preventive maintenance for rescue and firefighting vehicles to ensure its serviceability, availability of required manpower, rescue tools, protective equipment, and maintaining the aerodrome facilities, which caused unsafe conditions to the aircraft operations,” the order notes.

Further, it said the “Airport Director of Shivamogga Airport failed to provide any cogent reason for non-compliances specified in CAR (Civil Aviation Requirement) Section 4 Series B Part 1 (Aerodrome Design and Operation),” which deal with the design and operation of the airport, and “failed to maintain the aerodrome in a fit state for use by aircraft.” Considering these failures, the DGCA imposed the penalty.

The airport, which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 27, 2023, had licence for flight operations up to August 23. The DGCA renewed the licence only for a month (up to September 23), making serious observations on the lack of safety and security arrangements at the airport. Again, after request by the KSIIDC, the licence has been renewed for another month, up to October 23.

Published - September 30, 2024 08:02 pm IST