Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) should clarify all the doubts arisen following number of flights in and out of Tawau airport were cancelled on Wednesday and Thursday due to problems with the airport’s landing equipment.
According to DCA, the equipment to aid landings – the instrument landing system (ILS) and the directional variable omni range (DVOR) needed to be re-calibrated at the airport, but it has passed the expiry date of the calibration, thus causing flight cancellations in and out of Tawau airport at night.
Another sources has told the media (STAR, Night flights to Tawau to be suspended for two weeks, 21/5/2015) that, night flights into Tawau airport is expected to be suspended for about two weeks due to maintenance work on the airports landing equipment which is estimated to be completed by 3rd June.
However, the night flight cancellations in and out Tawau airport seems to be lifted started yesterday. DCA director-general Datuk Azharuddin Abdul Rahman has said that, “if the weather is good, it is okay to land. At night, or if the weather is not good, it is up to the pilot to decide.”
Public are in the dark over the issue. What’s going on? Does DCA silently allow the night flight from now on even though they know that the calibration only could be completed by early June? If anything happens, who is going to be responsible for it? When we have no precision landing in Tawau, can DCA guarantee the safety of the passengers?
Nothing is more important than passengers safety. It is morally wrong for flight company and DCA maintain the flight schedule knowing that the landing aid equipment has passed the due date of calibration, just for the sake of profit and easiness of operation.
It is a big scandal for our aviation industry that, the airport can’t guarantee the precise landing in Tawau. Worse still, they allow the flight schedule to be continued, without proper announcement and assurance given to the public. I demand a firm answer from DCA pertaining the issue.