By : Elizabeth Zachariah
The poor state of the runway
is another danger to aircraft and its passengers at the Kota Kinabalu
International Airport. August 1, 2013.The poor state of the runway is another
danger to aircraft and its passengers at the Kota Kinabalu International
Airport. August 1, 2013.Malaysia's second busiest airport -- the Kota Kinabalu
International Airport (KKIA) -- has been operating without an Instrument
Landing System (ILS) since upgrading works a few months ago, raising fears of
an accident similar to the Asiana crash in San Francisco last month.
PKR deputy secretary-general
Darell Leiking revealed that the ILS was removed to facilitate construction
works on the runway and to date, has not been re-installed, despite the runway
being used for flights.
The ILS - a ground based
instrument - combines radio signals and high intensity lightning to provide
precision guidance to the pilot when approaching and landing on any runway. In
the San Francisco crash on July 6, the ILS had been switched off.
"I hope that a better
system would be put in place but I am told that the ILS is the most appropriate
landing system and used all over airports in Malaysia and in the world.
"Without the ILS, many
pilots are finding it difficult to land in bad weather and at night," the
Penampang MP added.
The absence of the ILS,
Leiking noted, has caused many flights to be delayed, especially during the
rainy season.
"My question is, if
this is true, why is this important instrument not re-installed?"
He disclosed that the
guidance system currently being used at KKIA is the basic non-precision
approach known as VOR (VHF Omnidirectional range) and the DME (Distance
Measuring Equipment).
"I was made to
understand that this system is not as accurate compared to the ILS, especially
during rain. This has caused unnecessary delays.
"Since the main
contractor for the upgrading works on the airport had their contract terminated
sometime last year, the taxiway is still not completed and most of the
taxiway's lights are also not functioning," Leiking said, adding that the
overall condition of the airport was deplorable.
"The maintenance of the
airport is very poor, including non-lighted runways and overgrown grass
surrounding the runway, which covers the signages. Another complaint received
is the uneven surface of the runway," he added.
The same problem, he went
on, could be seen on the perimeter roads linking Terminal 1 and Terminal 2,
used by airport staff and fuel trucks.
He called on Malaysia
Airport Holdings, the Transport Ministry and the Department of Civil Aviation
to investigate these complaints and review the safety of the KKIA and its
facilities.
"The authorities should
issue a written assurance to the public that there are no possible dangers
posed at the airport especially without the ILS," he said.
The KKIA is one of five
international airports in the country and the second busiest after KL
International Airport (KLIA).
On Oct 25 last year, the
KKIA was closed for a night after the runway lights malfunctioned, forcing
several incoming and outgoing flights to be cancelled or rescheduled and
leaving many passengers stranded.
In the San Francisco
airplane crash early last month, it was found that the ILS at the airport was
turned off when a South Korean airliner crashed into the runway at an awkward
angle, killing two people and injuring more than 100 others. - August 1, 2013 (TheMalaysianInsider)
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