Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru

Mangaluru, Jan 11: Reports are rife in various local media, including national ones, that a 'tractor' on the runway at Mangaluru International Airport during take-off created panic on Thursday January 11 and led to delay in flight.

However, the airport director has issued a clarification and has said that the reports are far from truth.

According to reports, Mangaluru-Mumbai Jet Airways flight was about to take off when the air traffic controller noticed 'a tractor in the middle of the runway' and averted what could have been a tragedy in the nick of time. Reports also claimed that due to this, there was panic and the flight got delayed by some minutes. Other reports stated that it was a 'luggage truck' that was on the runway.

Airport director V V Rao however dismissed the reports and clarified that there was no tractor or luggage truck on the runway.

"Wrong and vague information is being published by the media in various papers/TV/ internet in connection to the take off clearance given to lAl434 on January 11. Be informed that there was no tractor or any other baggage carrying trolley on runway during take-off the aircraft. The take-off was held for a few minutes as a safety measure as ATC observed one tractor far away from runway in the basic strip. The take-off was immediately cleared by the ATC after the tractor was moved away from the basic strip," the airport director said.