IAF conducts trial run on emergency landing facility on AP Highway

Bapatla (Andhra Pradesh), Dec 29 (PTI) Indian Air Force officials on Thursday successfully conducted a trial run of the 4.1 km emergency landing facility constructed near Picchikalagudipadu village of Korishapadu mandal on the National Highway-16.

An IAF official said a transport plane AN-32, two Sukhoi fighter planes and two Tejas-light combat fighters participated in the trial. “The report we got is that the runway is perfect for landing,” the official told a TV channel.

According to him, there was still working pending for the runway including fencing of the road on both sides to prevent entry of people and animals. He further said they coordinated with officials of National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) on issues such as painting on the runway and consistency of the surface.

Bapatla Superintendent of Police Vakul Jindal told PTI that a strong security cordon has been established with around 200 police personnel for the trial run. He said from 10:30 AM to noon, vehicles coming on the national highway would be diverted.
He also said in the trial run, the aircraft flew at a height of 100 metres without touching the ground.