noc: ‘noc To Metro Near Juhu Airport Addresses Safety Compliances’ | Bombay News
Mumbai: The ‘height clearance’ no objection certificate issued by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) to the Mumbai Metropolitan Area Development Authority (MMRDA) for an elevated metro near the Juhu Airport is “duly addressing security aspects for flight operations as well as the safety concerns of nearby residents”, said a report submitted by the Ministry of Civil Aviation to the Bombay High Court on May 5.
The high court gave time to the petitioner, Harit Desai, to submit his objections to the report and released the case on June 6.
In 2019, the government-owned AAI had issued an NOC which granted MMRDA a ‘maximum allowable elevation’ of 16.76m (above mean sea level) for a section of the metro corridor 2B (DN Nagar to Andheri west to Mankhurd) passing through SV Route which is near Juhu Airport Runway 08/26.
Last year Desai challenged the AAI NOC saying the Metro line was in the ‘funnel zone’ of runway 08-26 – an imaginary funnel-shaped airspace beyond of a runway end through which an aircraft follows its flight path after taking off from the runway or when approaching to land on a runway, ie. In the case of Juhu Airport, aircraft descending for landing fly over Vile Parle Station then SV Road to land on Runway 26; those taking off from Runway 08 climb immediately above SV Road.
Desai alleged that the NOC violated the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation’s 2015 rules (height limitations to safeguard flight operations), stating that if said subway line were put into operation “the possibility that ‘an aircraft arriving or departing from Juhu airport is involved in an accident cannot be ruled out’.
On January 18, the HC Bench consisting of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and MS Karnik had requested a comprehensive independent report from Union Civil Aviation Ministry Secretary Rajiv Bansal on the issue of the clearance of AAI NOC height and relevant safety and security aspects.
Bansal’s report supporting AAI’s NOC relied on the fact that Juhu Airport is a “visual flight rules (VFR) airport”. At a VFR airport, air operations are only carried out when the visibility is greater than 5 km. The report says that in low visibility conditions, the planes will operate from Mumbai airport to Santacruz.
An aviation source said: ‘Juhu Heliport which serves offshore flights to Bombay High is the busiest heliport in the country and Mumbai airport is too saturated (pre-Covid) to take the load of helicopter flights that operate from Juhu Airport.”
The report adds that all published information, including that of obstacles around the airport, is assessed by air operators before the start of flight operations, implying that pilots would be aware of obstacles – such as the subway – near of the track.
The report indicates that Runway 26 is primarily used as the primary runway for takeoff. If applicable, when runway 08 is used for take-off, all safety precautions must be taken by air operators. “The charts are prepared by AAI experts taking all safety precautions, then published and made available to airline operators and pilots to comfortably fly over obstacles.” Bansal concluded by saying that the NOC “…duly addresses the safety aspects for flight operations as well as the safety concerns of residents near Juhu Airfield”.
The high court gave time to the petitioner, Harit Desai, to submit his objections to the report and released the case on June 6.
In 2019, the government-owned AAI had issued an NOC which granted MMRDA a ‘maximum allowable elevation’ of 16.76m (above mean sea level) for a section of the metro corridor 2B (DN Nagar to Andheri west to Mankhurd) passing through SV Route which is near Juhu Airport Runway 08/26.
Last year Desai challenged the AAI NOC saying the Metro line was in the ‘funnel zone’ of runway 08-26 – an imaginary funnel-shaped airspace beyond of a runway end through which an aircraft follows its flight path after taking off from the runway or when approaching to land on a runway, ie. In the case of Juhu Airport, aircraft descending for landing fly over Vile Parle Station then SV Road to land on Runway 26; those taking off from Runway 08 climb immediately above SV Road.
Desai alleged that the NOC violated the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation’s 2015 rules (height limitations to safeguard flight operations), stating that if said subway line were put into operation “the possibility that ‘an aircraft arriving or departing from Juhu airport is involved in an accident cannot be ruled out’.
On January 18, the HC Bench consisting of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and MS Karnik had requested a comprehensive independent report from Union Civil Aviation Ministry Secretary Rajiv Bansal on the issue of the clearance of AAI NOC height and relevant safety and security aspects.
Bansal’s report supporting AAI’s NOC relied on the fact that Juhu Airport is a “visual flight rules (VFR) airport”. At a VFR airport, air operations are only carried out when the visibility is greater than 5 km. The report says that in low visibility conditions, the planes will operate from Mumbai airport to Santacruz.
An aviation source said: ‘Juhu Heliport which serves offshore flights to Bombay High is the busiest heliport in the country and Mumbai airport is too saturated (pre-Covid) to take the load of helicopter flights that operate from Juhu Airport.”
The report adds that all published information, including that of obstacles around the airport, is assessed by air operators before the start of flight operations, implying that pilots would be aware of obstacles – such as the subway – near of the track.
The report indicates that Runway 26 is primarily used as the primary runway for takeoff. If applicable, when runway 08 is used for take-off, all safety precautions must be taken by air operators. “The charts are prepared by AAI experts taking all safety precautions, then published and made available to airline operators and pilots to comfortably fly over obstacles.” Bansal concluded by saying that the NOC “…duly addresses the safety aspects for flight operations as well as the safety concerns of residents near Juhu Airfield”.