Trial of flight landing on NH 16 successful

PNS|Bapatla

The Indian Air Force (IAF) successfully conducted the trial run for the landing of aircraft on National Highway 16 between Pichikala Gudipadu and Renangivaram village on Thursday.

Group Captain RS Chowdary said that the trial run of landing flights on the NH was successful.

The 4.1-km National Highway between Picchikalagudipadu and Renangivaram villages on the Chennai-Kolkata highway was constructed with concrete. The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) constructed a concrete road at a stretch 4.1 km with 33 m to enable aircraft to land on the highway in emergency situations.

The IAF conducted the trial run with four fighter jets and a transport aircraft on Thursday. The five aircraft flew a few metres above the highway as part of the trial run. The IAF officials used the most modern ELF technology to send signals to the aircraft. The vehicular traffic on the busy Chennai-Kolkata was stopped for a few hours to conduct the trail run. A large number of people thronged the highway to watch the flights.

Group Captain RS Chowdary said that the Emergency Landing Facility (ELF) on NH 16 in the district is now ready for emergency landing of flights. He said that after the Emergency Landing Facility (ELF) procedure is made easy, the landing of flights would be taken up.

Chowdary said that the two ELFs would be constructed on NH 16. The ELF which has come up at Addanki in the Bapatla district is the first ELF in South India. He said that two ELFs would come up between Bapatla and Nellore in AP, adding that ELFs are being constructed in AP, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Odisha, and J&K. Two such ELF were functioning in UP and Rajasthan.

He said that during natural calamities, the ELFs would be used. Collector K Vijaya Krishnan said that ELF in Bapatla district is ready for the landing of aircraft during emergency situations. She said that no defects were found during the trial run today. Bapatla SP Vakul Jindal, Prakasam Collector KS Dinesh Kumar, Air Force official VM Reddy and Joint Collector K Srinivasulu were among those who were present.

District Collector K Vijaya Krishnan said that the Emergency Landing Facility area constructed on the National Highway will soon be opened to allow planes to land in emergency situations. She said that this is the first-of-its-kind First Emergency Landing Facility to be completed on National Highway in South India.

She said that there were no errors in the trial run.