Fliers will have to gear up for 3 months of chaos

Mumbai: Come October and Mumbai airport is likely to be shut for six hours every Tuesday for runway repair work. Following the re-carpeting work on the intersection between the two runways, the airport may be rendered non-operational for a few hours every day between October and December. There are chances that a shortened runway may be put in use to operate smaller aircrafts. However, this is likely to result in major changes in flight schedules.
Prevailing norms say airports carry out runway re-carpeting at regular intervals, depending on the wear and tear. Mumbai airport has two intersecting runways and repair work on the intersection will render both runways non-operative.
Mumbai International Airport Pvt Ltd (MIAL) has, however, recommended that a shortened runway be used by airlines to operate small aircraft during the time and has made a presentation to the Directorate-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for approval. Most airlines have agreed to the arrangement and the DGCA is likely to give its nod in the coming few days.
"Usually, an aircraft has about 3,400 metres of landing and take-off length available. In case of a shortened runway, the available length will come down to around 1,700 metres. This means only small aircraft like an ATR or a Boeing 737-300 will be able to operate,'' an airport official said.
04/07/09 Chinmayi Shalya/Times of India

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Categories: Airports Jul 2009