Stray dogs on runway delay Jet flight

BHOPAL: A major accident was averted at the Bhopal airport after stray dogs were spotted on the runway when the Lucknow-bound flight of Jet Airways carrying 60 passengers was about to take off at Raja Bhoj International Airport on Sunday afternoon.

The flight was delayed for more than an hour, officials added, pleading anonymity.

The Bhopal-Lucknow-Delhi flight- 2655 was scheduled to depart at 2.05 in the afternoon. It was late by around 15 minutes till that time and the aircraft started taxing on the runaway at 2.20 PM.

However, when the aircraft began moving on the runway, the pilots spotted dogs on the runway and subsequently it had to be turned back.

The passengers were still inside the aircraft when the ground staff operated hurriedly to remove the dogs. The staff ensured that there were no dogs before the take-off. And by the time it was done, the flight was delayed, airport sources said. However, no Jet airways official was available for official version.

The flight was delayed for more than an hour due to the negligence of airport authorities and it finally took off at 3.20, Jet Airways sources claimed pleading anonymity.

This flight on this air route was introduced last month only, the officials added.

Earlier, before the operation from the newly-constructed international terminal began, jackals would be a menace at the old airport. A large number of jackals causing threat to flights had been trapped by the forest department officials of Van Vihar National Park.