Dog enters Goa airport runway causing AirAsia India flight to abort take-off
New Delhi, Sep 1: An AirAsia India flight to Delhi had to abort its take-off at Goa airport on Sunday after a dog entered the runway when the plane was readying to depart, an official said.
Flight I5778 was set to depart around 8.25 am, the official of the Airports Authority of India 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 in Goa operate their planes from the civil enclave of INS Hansa, an airbase of the Indian Navy.
Chief of Safety of AirAsia India in a statement said that as a stray dog was spotted on the runway, Goa ATC cancelled the takeoff clearance of I5-778 scheduled to operate between Goa and New Delhi.
"The aircraft had just commenced its takeoff roll. The sighting was confirmed by Goa ATC and has since also been reported to DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation)," he said.
The same aircraft and crew thereafter operated after a delay of 40 minutes, he said.
"AirAsia India regrets the delay caused on account of this to any guest travelling onboard. We state that we place safety foremost and the delay was caused due to reasons beyond our control," he added.
AirAsia India currently has a fleet of 22 aircraft covering 19 destinations across the country.
The Indian Navy spokesperson on Twitter said, "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 spokesperson added, "INS Hansa has proactively taken steps to relocate dogs from vicinity of runway. Under an MoU of IndianNavy with the Department of Animal Husbandry, nearly 60 dogs have been relocated since mid August."
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Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
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The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
