Airport runway meets requirements for flight operations: GMR

Operator of Ibrahim Nasir International Airport (INIA), GMR, has said that the runway of INIA meets all the requirements to support the scope and intensity of flight operations.

INIA CEO Andrew Harrison said in an email with reference to the tyre burst incident of an Air India flight, that the runway is supported by a comprehensive maintenance regime of inspections and repairs that are in line with similar procedures in other countries, and that the incident of the burst tyre is totally unrelated to any aspect of the runway condition.

“The runway specification, current condition and maintenance support are all known and approved by CAD of Maldives,” Mr Harrison said in the email.

He also said that as part of the concession agreement, the GMR is required to rehabilitate the runway by 2015.

“However by our analysis, this initiative is being advanced due to the heavier and larger aircraft types that have been using the runway for several years. INIA is committed to ensuring the highest possible standards of safety which is why there has been significant investment in equipment and training for the staff responsible for runway maintenance.”

However, Transport Minister Ahmed Shamheed told Sun Online some time ago that the airport runway is not suitable for the landing of large aircrafts, and that problems are being faced due to this problem. He stressed the importance of constructing a new runway, but noted that the airport development plans to not allow for a new runway. He also said that the current runway cannot be used for much longer.