A pilot opts for a go-around before landing when he is unable to make an approach to land at the airport usually in harsh weather conditions when visibility is poor. According to a senior Jet Airways pilot, every go-around at the airport can cost an airline from Rs 20,000 to Rs 60,000 worth of fuel depending on an aircraft’s size and type. “A typical go-around on a Boeing 737— a narrow body jetliner and a popular choice with domestic carriers— at the Mumbai airport costs upwards of Rs 20,000 worth of fuel. In bigger aircraft like the 747, quantity of excess fuel consumed because of a go-around may be much higher,” he said.

Tuesday’s go-arounds resulted in ten aircraft burning up atleast Rs 20,000 worth of fuel each. “Globally, the benchmark figure is $100 per minute or roughly Rs 5,000 in overall costs according to an ICAO study that was conducted five years ago,” said Jitender Bhargava, executive director (corporate communications), Air India. Considering that a typical go-around lasts 20 minutes, overall costs for airlines can be alarming. In addition to this, airlines lose out on stipulated pilot hours as they are paid for every extra minute spent in the cockpit.

Pilots and airport officials term such wastage of fuel as a ‘necessary evil’. “Is there an alternative to this?” asked a Jet official. “With low visibility it is safer to go-around than to attempt landing,” said a safety expert from a private carrier.