Buddha disrupts flight path at Delhi airport

Airline pilots trying to land on a controversial new runway at Delhi's international airport face an unusual hazard in the form of a giant statue of Buddha.

Work has already started on the 16-metre-high (54ft) copper statue on a religious site which lies in the landing funnel area of the flight path about 1km from the end of the runway.

The 1,000 crore rupee (£133m) runway at Indira Gandhi International airport has been beset by problems since it opened in August last year.



Pilots already have to cope with a 24-metre-high statue of Lord Shiva, one of the most important Hindu gods, which stands, clutching a trident, close to the Buddha site.

Its presence means that only 2.4km of the runway's 4.4km length is available to pilots landing from the east.

Craftsmen working on the statue insisted the fault lay with the airport for failing to take the presence of the religious site into consideration when deciding where to build the runway. The man in charge of the site, who declined to give his name, said the statues were important religious symbols.