At Surat airport, height obstacles and flight operations coexist
Representative Image SURAT: The Flight AI 171 crash in Ahmedabad has brought air transport hazards into the spotlight. The airport in Surat has been subject to neglect in this regard for decades. It first took a public movement to make the airport operational, while later gaining notoriety when it became perhaps the only airport where an aircraft hit a buffalo on the runway. There are shrimp farms near the airport on one side, which attract birds, and an underground gas pipeline on the other side which prevents the runway from being extended. Another issue concerning citizens and hampering full-fledged operations…