DIAL proposes closure of IGI Airport’s main runway no 28 for eight months

Mumbai: The GMR-led Delhi International Airport Pvt. Ltd. (DIAL) has proposed to close Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport’s main runway no. 28 for eight months from April 15, 2009 to resurface it. According to a report in Times of India by Saurabh Sinha, in view of the major disruption this may cause to the functioning of the airport, the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) has called a meeting on this issue early next week and DIAL will be asked if this job can be done in phases to reduce the complete closure period. The eight-month period includes two monsoon months when no work will be carried out. DIAL wants the work to be completed by the peak winter fog season.
“We will be seeking approval of all authorities concerned like the AAI, DGCA and ministry before beginning work on the Rs 150-crore resurfacing project. But the Ministry may insist on a phased plan, as closing runway 28 - that lies between the other two runways 27 and 29 - will create huge problems,” said an official. IGI Airport currently handles close to 700 flights (350 arrivals, 350 departures) per day, with the new runway 29 handling all arrivals and departures happening from runway 28.
Although the Air Traffic Control (ATC) has worked out a rough formula to handle the closure of runway 28 - with all domestic departures happening from runway 27 that's close to domestic terminal and all arrivals and international departures from runway 29 - it too wants the complete closure to be for least possible time.
Moreover, MoCA has just cleared DGCA's plan for banning night landing on the new runway (29) from Vasant Kunj side from 10pm to 6am following complaints of noise pollution from residential areas, meaning that night operation would have to be on runways 27 and 29. With one of them closed, the situation could get chaotic unless night curfew on runway 29 is postponed. DIAL had raised the runway closure issue last month in a meeting with MoCA.
18/03/09 TravelBizMonitor

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Categories: Airports Mar 2009