24 March,2015 08:01 AM IST | | A correspondent
Indian Air Force conducted a test drill on Tuesday, which saw Hercules, one of the biggest defence Cargo planes landing at the small Juhu Aerodrome
Indian Air Force (IAF) conducted a test drill on Tuesday, which saw Hercules, one of the biggest defence cargo planes landing at the Juhu Aerodrome.
The Hercules C130J flew to Mumbai around 1.40pm and departed within ten minutes. This was an exercise to check whether the Hercules, one of India's biggest defence cargo planes, could land at Juhu Airport in case of an emergency and terror attack on Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Airport.
Hercules lands at the Juhu Aerodrome on Tuesday.
The expected time of arrival of the aircraft was around 1.25pm, but it was slightly delayed at the Juhu Airport. The runway at the Juhu aerodrome which is 3,750 feet long is shorter than the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA) one which is 12,008 feet.
Huge aircrafts are used to carry troops and supplies in emergency situations like terror attack at the city's domestic or International terminal. Most aircrafts of this size require a runway with conventional dimensions of a fully functional airport, but the Hercules can land on much shorter lengths of unpaved or paved runways.
The city airport, previously had threat messages scribbled on the walls of its washrooms (once at the International terminal and the other at the domestic terminal 1A). Moreover, the National Carrier, Air India, has been receiving frequent hijack calls at its Thane-based call centre. The agencies handling security, too, have been conducting various drills and exercises at the airport to prepare for any kind of untoward incidents.
