Mumbai secondary runway may delay flights from Oct to Jan

Mumbai: Passengers taking a flight from Mumbai airport can expect delays from October till January next year. Mumbai International Airport Pvt ltd (MIAL) will close the secondary runway for re-carpeting work, leaving only the main runway open to flight operations. The re-carpeting work, which is a mandatory requirement for the airport, will make cross-runway operations impossible at Mumbai airport. The airport operates both runways simultaneously for around 14 hours daily.
"Only one runway would be in use for four months. The secondary runway (14-32) is usually used for take-offs during simultaneous operations. This would not be possible now,'' an airport official said. "It will lead to delays, particularly in the morning when departing traffic is at its peak,'' he added, estimating a minimum delay of about 10-15 minutes.
All airports have to re-carpet or reconstruct runways after a stipulated period of time for maintenance. But as Mumbai airport has cross-runways, the impact on flight operations is expected to be higher. Officials said delays would escalate after the winter flight schedule is implemented. "Winter schedule has more flights than the current season. Hence, there is a possibility of cluttering,'' an official said.
Also, in case of any obstruction on the main runway, officials would not have any choice but to suspend airport operations.
21/09/09 Chinmayi Shalya/Times of India

To Read the News in full at Source, Click the Headline

Categories: Airports Sep 2009