Delhi, Mumbai Airports to Undergo Repair Work; Delays Expected

Flights are likely to be disrupted at the Delhi & Mumbai airports as their runways will be closed for repair work.

File image of a flight at Delhi airport during fog. 

(Photo: AP)

Flights are likely to be disrupted at the airport in both major cities Delhi and Mumbai as their runways will be closed for repair work in October and November.

Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport will have one of its runways closed for a 13-day period starting from 15 November.

Whereas, Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport will have both its runways closed for six hours a day on 23 October and on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays between 7 February and 30 March.

The Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA), operated by DIAL, is the busiest aerodrome in the country and has three runways.

Delhi’s runway 27/09 would be closed for "preventive repairs" next month while two other runways – 11/29 and 10/28 – would be operational.

The airport handled 63.5 million passengers in 2017-18 and has around 1,300 flight movements every day.

This is expected to impact 100 flights a day at Delhi airport and around 276 flights a day at Mumbai.

In a statement, DIAL said it was planning the closure of runway 27/09 to carry out preventive repairs.

The works are scheduled to be undertaken for 13-day duration starting from 15 November 2018. This will lower the capacity of IGI Airport by 50 arrivals and 50 departures per day in this duration.

DIAL spokesperson

The spokesperson also said these works are essential for safe aircraft operations and to avoid sudden disruptions that cause greater impact due to time required for planning the logistics.

According to an Air India official, around 200 domestic flight departures and arrivals are likely to be affected by the runway closure.

A spokesperson for Vistara said the airline has decided to cancel as well as re-schedule some flights during the runway closure period.

(With inputs from PTI and The Indian Express.)