Dog on runway aborts flight take-off

New Delhi : An AirAsia India flight to Delhi had to abort its take-off on Sunday morning at Goa airport after a dog entered the runway when the plane was readying to depart, said a senior official of Airports Authority of India.

Flight I5778 was set to depart around 8.25 am, the official said. "The dog, once spotted by the Air Traffic Control, was immediately removed from the runway. The flight then departed at around 9.15 am," the official added.

Commercial airline companies operate their planes from the civil enclave of INS Hansa, which is an airbase of the Indian Navy. The Indian Navy spokesperson said on Twitter, "At about 0825 hours today, when AirAsia flight 778 was rolling for take off at Goa airport, alert ATC spotted a dog entering runway and immediately informed pilot who aborted take off.

The flight departed 0915 hours after additional technical checks." The ATC at Goa airport is run by the Indian Navy. The spokesperson added, "INS Hansa has proactively taken steps to relocate dogs from vicinity of runway.

Under MOU of IndianNavy with Department of Animal Husbandry, nearly 60 dogs have been relocated since mid-August."