Will take corrective action after receiving probe report: Airports Authority of India chief on Kozhikode plane crash

Airports Authority of India (AAI) Chairman Arvind Singh on Saturday said "corrective action" will be taken after receiving the probe report on the Air India Express plane crash at Kozhikode airport on Friday.

The airport in Kerala, which has a tabletop runway, is operated by state-owned AAI.

Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is probing the accident at the Kozhikode airport that has left at least 18 people dead, including the two pilots of the plane. The Digital Flight Data Recorder (DFDR) and the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) have been recovered at the crash site.

Singh said rescue work is over and reasons for the crash would be known once the AAIB report comes.

"This report will tell us about all the issues... we are awaiting the inquiry report and then we will take corrective action," he told PTI.

On whether there were any safety issues had come to the notice of the AAI in recent times, Singh replied in the negative.

He noted that prior to Covid-19, there were around 70 departures as well as 70 arrivals at the Kozhikode airport on a daily basis.

After domestic flights resumed on May 25, there have been 10 departures and 10 arrivals every day.

Domestic and international flight services were suspended in late March in the wake of Covid-19. Domestic flights resumed operations on May 25 while overseas flights remain suspended.

However, special international flights are operating. The plane that crashed on Friday was operating a Vande Bharat Mission flight from Dubai to Kozhikode.