Srinagar: A Spicejet flight on Srinagar International Airport got delayed by at least one hour and fourty minutes as on the runway a stray dog hampered its takeoff, Monday.
Sources said that Spicejet flight SG939 was to takeoff at 12.35 PM and as the plane started moving on the runway, it hit a dog, that was roaming there mysteriously.
“We don’t know what exactly happened. But as the aircraft started moving on the runway, it came to a halt with a sudden jerk, panicking all on the board,” said a passenger, Basharat.
“We came to know that a stray dog had come in the way, however, we were not told by the crew that whether the dog was hit or not,” added Basharat.
However, some other passengers said that the jolt was so big that they were convinced that the aircraft over ran the stray dog.
“The very simple logic. The flight had to take off at 12.35. It finally took off at 2.15. Means, there was some big trouble. I think, they changed the front tyre of the plane, which may have been damaged,” said another passenger.
However, no one from the Airports Authority of India (AAI) came out with any explanation.
“There is complete silence on AAI’s part. They are non committal,” said some local journalists.
Meanwhile, frequent flyers have expressed shock over the incident.
“You have three tier security check for passengers. The entire exercise is tedious and humiliating but we cooperate given the sensitivity of the place,” said a top businessman, who didn’t want to be named.
“But you have stray dogs roaming around freely. Anyone can tie IEDs or any other explosive material to the bodies of these dogs. What kind of security arrangement it is?” the businessman questioned.
“The AAI may hide behind the curtain of silence, but they will have to answer because it concerns the safety and security of all passengers flying from this airport,” said a tourist flying Spicejet flight SG939.
