PM, Sonia Gandhi among VIPS who boarded a flight to Srinagar on Wednesday.
At least 10 flights were delayed, first due to VIP air traffic and then a burly dog running on the runway at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport on Wednesday morning.
First it was the VIP flights. Prime minister Manmohan Singh, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and vice president Hamid Ansari took off between 8 am and 9 am, throwing Delhi-bound air traffic out of gear. The PM and Sonia went to Srinagar and the vice-president to Bagdogra on his way to Gangtok.
Two flights had to be diverted to Jaipur, as they did not have enough fuel to last. “The pilots had no option because they can’t go on waiting for a VIP aircraft to take off,” an airport source said.
In-bound air traffic was put on hold for a long time. The two flights that were diverted returned only around noon. As per protocol, VIP aircraft is given freeway from starting point till it takes off.
“Movement of all other aircraft is stopped from the time a VIP aircraft begins taxiing. This is done to ensure that the VIP aircraft does not have to wait for take-off clearance,” a senior airport official said.
All Delhi-bound aircraft had been informed in advance about VIP movement on Wednesday, much before the VIP aircraft began taxiing. The restriction should have ended the moment the VIPs took off.
But just as in-bound traffic was getting clearance to approach Delhi airspace, a stray dog was spotted on runway 29.
Ground staff spotted the dog and immediately informed the control tower.
A domestic aircraft was parked close to the runway where the dog was spotted. The pilot was immediately informed.
The dog was shooed away, but that delayed some aircraft readying to land. Delhi International Airport Limited officials admitted incidents of stray doges entering the airport’s operational area in the past too.
“We are reworking the entry gates to stop entry of animals,” a Delhi International Airport Limited executive said.
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