UrBC, Yekaterinburg, December 6, 2010. Koltsovo Airport provided us with the friction coefficient of 0.32 at the runway, which was not enough for the aircraft as big as ours. We needed the coefficient of about 0.4 at least; as it happens, the perfect coefficient comes to as much as 0.65,’ Orenburg Airlines First Deputy Director Sergey Lazarev told UrBC.
Meanwhile, the company’s airplane hasn’t been able to leave Yekaterinburg for Goa for over twelve hours now.
‘It’s one thing when a plane like this is bound for Moscow, but a flight to Goa is quite another matter, as the in-flight time comes to six hours. Our fuel tanks were filled to the brim, which added to the aircraft’s total weight,’ the airline official said.
‘First, the airport staff started cleaning the landing strip. The airport promised the friction coefficient would get better, but they did not succeed in their efforts. Then we decided to get rid of the fuel, and it took the airport crew four hours to do it, and, in fact, the task was never completed in the end. Then the airport engaged in cleaning the runway again, and it was only this morning that we were provided with the necessary friction coefficient after all,’ Mr. Lazarev observed.
‘As we kept waiting for the take-off to become possible at any moment, we couldn’t even provide hotel accommodation for our passengers, but we did manage to provide meals for them. If the unhappy passengers decide to complain, their claims will be placed with Koltsovo Airport,’ he added.