LAND USE AROUND AIRPORTS

Since a majority of air accidents occur either during take-off or landing, that makes it riskier to have airports in the midst of a bustling city

- Lekha Rattanani

Air India Flight 171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner bound for London, took off from Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport on 12 June, only to plunge into a hostel of the BJ Medical College just 30 seconds later.

The tragedy claimed 241 lives onboard and at least 39 on the ground, including medical students and a couple who stepped out to make an Aadhaar card correction just before the plane crashed in their neighbourhood, Meghani Nagar. This is a congested locality of buildings and slum pockets in the vicinity of the airport, causing many fatalities on the ground. Over 60 people from Meghani Nagar are being treated for injuries. While investigators look into a host of likely causes that range from engine and equipment failure to systemic problems and a breakdown in communications, the crash has drawn attention to other issues that need to be addressed: the chaos and growing congestion around many of our airports.