Tension as aircraft has trouble landing

VIJAYAWADA: A Spicejet aircraft hovered for nearly 40 minutes in the sky creating some nervous moments for passengers as well as well as those waiting for them at the Gannavaram airport, due to low visibility on Saturday    morning.According to sources, the aircraft arrived at the airport around 8.50 am and made rounds in the sky till 9.30 a.m due to  poor visibility. Minister Kanna Lakshiminarayana and MP Rayapati Sambasiva Rao were among the 60 passengers on board the aircraft.Speaking to Express, MP Rayapati Sambasiva Rao said that he had developed anxiety as the aircraft was hovering around the airport and inquired the matter with flight crew. “I was told that due to low visibility at the airport, they were just hovering around the airport. They allayed my fears and said that there was no technical problem in the aircraft” he added.Minister Kanna Lakshminarayana, who had also some tense moments as the aircraft made rounds over the airport, said he tried to know what happened to the aircraft and felt relieved when the captain told him that it was only due to low visibility.When contacted, Gannavaram airport director C Pattabhi also made it clear that the haze at the airport had caused low visibility which had  forced the aircraft to make rounds in the air. It is to be noted that the Instrument Landing System (ILS), which would enable the flights to land and take off during low visibility conditions, that was installed at the airport was to have been operational by the end of February, but due to some technical reasons it is not operational at the airport yet, causing delay in landing and take off of aircrafts.