₹20 lakh fine imposed on Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport over poor runway maintenance

India's aviation regulatory body, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) imposed a fine of ₹20 lakh on Kolkata's Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport (NSCBIA) for violating safety norms by neglecting runway maintenance.

"After the regulator started safety auditing for airports a few months back, the audit report found that NSCBIA has committed serious safety norms violations, especially on the runway maintenance work. It has been decided to impose a fine of ₹20 lakh," a senior official from DGCA confirmed to ANI.

The DGCA's audit report suggested that the Kolkata airport has been negligent in the maintenance of the runway as per the mandated safety requirement.

The Regulatory has issued a show-cause notice to the airport in case of serious violation of security rules at the airport.

"According to the audit report, the maintenance of the runway at Kolkata airport was not done as per the guidelines, the lights on the runway were not fixed properly and Foreign Object Debris (FOB) was reported on the runway, which could have been a part of an aircraft's safety during landing and takeoff was a concern," DGCA official told ANI.

The Airports Authority of India (AAI) did not comment on ANI's queries regarding the DGCA action, but AAI sources told ANI that, "An internal committee has been constituted to look into the said incident."