HYDERABAD: Another retired aircraft, the McDonnell Douglas DC-9, was transported on a 128-wheeler trailer from Karachi to the Civil Aviation Training Institute (CATI) in Hyderabad on Wednesday.

It is the second plane that has been transported by road to Hyderabad from Karachi. On Nov 1, a retired Boeing 737 was also transported to the CATI by road.

The DC-9 aircraft had made a crash landing at Karachi airport on Dec 25, 2011 and since then it was grounded.

“This aircraft is much bigger and different from the previous one transported to our institute,” CATI director Sumair Saeed told Dawn after plane was safely parked at the institute.

Officials say this DC-9 is bigger than Boeing 737 that was moved from Karachi to CATI on Nov 1

Malik Babar, the owner of the cargo company that transported the plane, said that the Boeing 737 was 18-foot wide and 105-foot long, while the DC-9 is 22-foot wide and 160-foot long.”

The cargo company used the National Highway, instead of M-9 motorway, to transport the plane.

Mr Babar said that this route was surveyed and found to be comparatively easier for shifting the aircraft than the M-9 motorway.

He said it took only 12 hours to transport the plane from Karachi airport to Hyderabad compared to the previous operation that took two days to complete because the National Highway Authority did not allow movement of the trailer carrying Boeing 737 after sunset.

“It led to some traffic issues and that’s why this plane was transported by this route instead of the Karachi-Hyderabad motorway,” said the CATI director.

He said that both planes would be used to conduct mock exercises for CATI’s officers and staff to train them in dealing with emergency situation, safe evacuation of passengers as well as firefighting.

He said that CATI had sought permission from the CAA director general to use retired aircraft for training purposes around three years back.

Mr Saeed said that Boeing 737 was not yet reassembled as it required some time. “Now both the planes will be assembled in a few days”, he said.

Published in Dawn, November 21st, 2024