Gangtok, Nov 18 (UNI) Greenfield Pakyong Airport, East Sikkim, which has been non-functional since June 2019 today conducted trial flights executed by Spice Jet.
The non-instrument runway Pakyong airport saw the Instrument approach designed and approved by Directorate General of Civil Aviation as per International Civil Aviation Organization, Aeronautical survey recommendation, executed by M/s Spice Jet carrying out flight trials.
The Spice Jet flight crew including Chief Pilot S Sarkar and Vice President Flight Operations, Capt Gurcharan Arora, conducted 6 trial approaches to the runway. They informed Director Pakyong Airport, Ram Tanu Saha that the approach was successful, but if satisfactory flight trial reports are received by Director General of Civil Aviation, Govt of India, it will be published. And the implementation of a procedure for flight operations would be 28th January ’21.
Instrument Landing system facility, a standard International Civil Organization precision landing aid to provide proper landing guidance signals to aircraft is not there at the Airport including three others run by Airport Authority of India.
The Runway is non-instrument intended for the operation of aircraft using a visual approach and instrument approach up to a limit only. This made it difficult for aircraft landing during bad weather resulting in closure and no flights. The Table Top Runway at Pakyong airport is one of the four operated by Airport Authority of India.
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