Govt Flying School to be Shifted to HAL Airport

The Government Flying Training School at Jakkur, closed recently due to safety concerns, will soon be shifted to Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) Airport in the city, according to Youth Empowerment and Sports Minister Mr Abhayachandra Jain. “Within a month, we will shift the flying school to HAL Airport. The Chief Secretary has discussed this issue with the HAL management and they have agreed to it,” Mr Jain told Express. The flying school was closed temporarily due to safety concerns over the elevated road that has come up close to the school. “The High Court had directed us to look into the possibility of closing traffic on the road during aircraft take-offs and landings at the Jakkur aerodrome. Since such a move would lead to a major traffic problem on the stretch, we have decided to close it and shift it to HAL,” the Minister said. Capt Arvind Sharma of Agni Aviation that operates from Jakkur had approached the High Court raising security concerns over the elevated road. After the road was laid, the operational portion of the runway at the aerodrome was reduced to half and the school was finding it difficult to continue with its normal flying activities. “Within the next two years, we will acquire land required for extending the runway and ensure that the school will be shifted back to Jakkur. The interim arrangement is done to ensure that students do not suffer,” he said. The Minister also allayed fears that real estate developers will encroach the land at Jakkur after the school is shifted.  “I am aware of such concerns and we will ensure that it will be used only for flying activities and to set up an aeronautical museum,” Mr Jain said. According to the Minister, the government will acquire new aircraft from the funds allocated in the state Budget. The HAL Airport is  now used for operating defence aircraft and VVIP flights. In 2008, civilian aircraft operations were shifted from the HAL Airport to the new airport at Devanahalli.

Source: http://www.newindianexpress.com/


Leave Your Comment

Your email will not be published or shared. Required fields are marked *

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>