Pilots wary of slippery runway as rains begin - Chennai, India.

CHENNAI: With the northeast monsoon around the corner, pilots flying into Chennai are a concerned lot.

Pointing out some parts of the runway are too slippery for the aircraft, pilots said that urgent steps need to be taken to remove rubber deposits and increase friction on the runway. The area where the delta taxiway joins the main runway is a spot where friction is not adequate to slow down a landing aircraft.

Pilots coming in to land from the Pallavaram side are forced to use the whole length of the runway before exiting into a taxiway. "As braking action is minimal, pilots coming in to land from Pallavaram side are not being able to slow down to turn and exit the runway via Delta taxiway. We are forced to go further and turn using Charlie taxiway which is in front of the cargo terminal," said a pilot.

The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has issued a notice to airmen (Notam) saying the runway can be slippery when wet. A senior AAI official said, "We are removing rubber deposits using a modern TrackJet machine that can scrape and vacuum the rubber off the surface. This is done every week when the main runway is closed for maintenance. There will be some problem spots because of rains. We will take up complete maintenance of the runway when the secondary runway is opened next month."

Air safety expert Captain A Ranganathan said the airport is not following the schedule laid out by the International Civil Aviation Organisation to remove rubber deposits from the runway. "Rubber deposits are heavy in Chennai and proves risky when it rains. They do not have a high pressure rubber hose to remove rubber deposits," he said.

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