29 December,2024 03:17 PM IST | Mumbai | Prasun Choudhari
Representational Pic
Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) is set to witness its much-anticipated first commercial landing on the southern runway today (Sunday) with an Airbus A320 aircraft.
"We will be conducting the commercial landing to ensure that we are ready to land and take off aircraft from the runway and make the airport operational by the stipulated date of March 31, 2025," officials from the Airport Authority of India (AAI) told Midday.
The official further disclosed, "The first commercial landing will be conducted by an Airbus A320 aircraft. The test will be conducted by us (AAI) in coordination with Air Traffic Controllers (ATC), NMIA, and CIDCO. The first-ever commercial aircraft will be landing on the southern runway, designated RW08/26, of the airport. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has also been invited to witness the event, although his attendance is yet to be confirmed."
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This development comes a fortnight after AAI successfully conducted Precision Approach Path Indicator (PAPI) validation at the airport. On December 12, AAI carried out PAPI system validation, which is crucial for guiding pilots during landing. The system was validated by AAI's Flight Inspection Unit (FIU).
"This system uses a series of lights perpendicular to the runway, emitting red and white signals to help pilots maintain the correct glide path. This is essential for ensuring the aircraft reaches the runway threshold safely during landing. The validation process is vital for pilot safety and involves trials and analyses conducted under both day and night conditions," sources from the AAI FIU explained.
Earlier, on October 11, 2024, an Indian Air Force (IAF) C295 aircraft successfully conducted the first test landing at NMIA. This was followed by a flypast of an IAF Sukhoi SU-30, which performed a two-round left-hand circuit pattern sortie (two rounds in an anticlockwise direction over the airport). Following the sortie, the Sukhoi SU-30 returned to the Pune Air Force Base.
The aircraft is registered with tail number VT-IFN with aircraft number 6E9165
The aircraft is 11.7 year old Airbus manufactured in Hamburg delivered to IndiGO In May 2013The pilots are going to perform at least 3 go arounds (landing abort procedure) before landing the aircraft on the runway
