At Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA), aviation safety and operational resilience have reached a new height in Asia. Significantly, authorities on Monday stated that CSMIA had proudly introduced the continent’s first-ever ‘Disabled airplanes Recovery Kit’ (DARK), changing the capacity to aid stranded airplanes.
DARK is a state-of-the-art operation that uses high-pressure lifting bags that are renowned for their exceptional durability and low labor requirements. By using this innovative method instead of the traditional low-pressure options, aircraft recovery is expected to be far more effective. With a maximum weight-bearing capability of an amazing 390 tonnes, DARK can quickly rescue major commercial and transport airplanes, such as the enormous Boeing 777-300ER. These include the ability to handle severe occurrences such as runway excursions, which raise serious questions about aviation safety.
Runway excursions are described as when an aircraft veers off or exceeds the permitted runway limits during takeoff or landing. Authorities stress that in order to protect passengers, aircraft, and airport operations, immediate and careful action is required. A systematic series of actions, including ground preparations, aircraft lifting, de-bogging, and towing, comprise the recovery process. Because of DARK’s small size and improved mobility, rescue personnel can get at accident locations more quickly, reducing downtime. Because CSMIA only has one cross-over runway, this becomes quite important.
DARK’s space-efficient size and complexity allow it to function with a smaller crew of qualified staff. In addition, experts noted that the recovery process proceeds four times more quickly than it does with the conventional low-pressure bag method.
The CSMIA Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting crew undertook a rigorous five-day training session to guarantee the smooth operation of DARK. The course covered a wide range of topics, such as legal issues, tethering protocols, ground stabilization strategies, lifting methods using low-pressure bags, multi-sling deployment, and de-bogging protocols.
Training exercises, both theoretical and practical, were conducted in a large hangar at CSMIA, where the many components of DARK, dispersed among 46 containers, were painstakingly constructed. These featured a trailer, wing transition equipment, tethers to stabilize the six-meter-tall inflated bags, and a compressor to power the bag inflation systems. With this thorough preparation, DARK is prepared to significantly contribute to improving aircraft safety and operational resilience across the Asian region.
