http://www.straitstimes.com/singapo...says-poor-visibility-is-reason-pilots-changed
SIA, in refuting media report, says poor visibility is reason pilots changed course when flying into Mumbai Airport
A Singapore Airlines (SIA) Boeing 777-300 is seen parked in the SIA Engineering Company hangar at Changi on Sept 25, 2013. PHOTO: ST FILE
Published
9 hours ago
Adrian Lim
Transport Correspondent
SINGAPORE - Pilots of a Singapore Airlines (SIA) plane were forced by poor visibility to stop heading towards a runway at Mumbai International Airport on Monday (Dec 4), the airline said later in the day when refuting a newspaper report that claimed they tried to land on the wrong runway of another Indian airport.
SIA said in a statement that SQ422 was scheduled to land at 10.35am, Mumbai time, on Runway 9.
But with poor visibility, the crew of the Airbus 350 discontinued the approach at approximately 1,000 feet, which is according to standard operating procedures.
Air Traffic Control Mumbai then directed the flight - with 245 passengers and 14 crew members - for a subsequent approach onto the same runway and the flight "landed uneventfully" at 10.48am, SIA said.
The airline said that "at no time did the pilots of SQ422 mistake Juhu airport as Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport".
The Times of India newspaper, citing an unnamed source, claimed the plane from Singapore was in touch with air traffic controllers to land at Runway 9, but after flying over the Arabian sea, its pilots saw the Juhu runway and "headed for it".
The runways of Juhu and Chhatrapati Shivaji airports are about 1km apart, reported the newspaper. Juhu is used by helicopters and training aircraft and has a shorter runway.
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SIA, in refuting media report, says poor visibility is reason pilots changed course when flying into Mumbai Airport
A Singapore Airlines (SIA) Boeing 777-300 is seen parked in the SIA Engineering Company hangar at Changi on Sept 25, 2013. PHOTO: ST FILE
Published
9 hours ago
Adrian Lim
Transport Correspondent
SINGAPORE - Pilots of a Singapore Airlines (SIA) plane were forced by poor visibility to stop heading towards a runway at Mumbai International Airport on Monday (Dec 4), the airline said later in the day when refuting a newspaper report that claimed they tried to land on the wrong runway of another Indian airport.
SIA said in a statement that SQ422 was scheduled to land at 10.35am, Mumbai time, on Runway 9.
But with poor visibility, the crew of the Airbus 350 discontinued the approach at approximately 1,000 feet, which is according to standard operating procedures.
Air Traffic Control Mumbai then directed the flight - with 245 passengers and 14 crew members - for a subsequent approach onto the same runway and the flight "landed uneventfully" at 10.48am, SIA said.
The airline said that "at no time did the pilots of SQ422 mistake Juhu airport as Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport".
The Times of India newspaper, citing an unnamed source, claimed the plane from Singapore was in touch with air traffic controllers to land at Runway 9, but after flying over the Arabian sea, its pilots saw the Juhu runway and "headed for it".
The runways of Juhu and Chhatrapati Shivaji airports are about 1km apart, reported the newspaper. Juhu is used by helicopters and training aircraft and has a shorter runway.
Topics:
