Runway shutdown to upgrade for A380s may clog IGI airport

New Delhi: Travellers flying in and out of New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI) can expect more congestion for six months starting March, when one of the three runways (runway 28) shuts down to upgrade for Airbus A380 and Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
The runways are expected to be made operational for the larger aircraft before the Commonwealth Games in October.
The bad news comes close on the heels of a tough winter season, which have already caused delays and cancellations due to fog, and over three hours of complete shutdown due to collapse of air traffic control radar system recently.
The closure of the runway would reduce the capacity of the airport by 20 per cent. It currently handles 60 flights an hour at peak time (6-10 am and 6-10pm) and has the capacity to scale up to 75 flights.
Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL), a consortium led by Bangalore-headquartered infrastructure company GMR Group manages the airport.
19/01/10 Mihir Mishra/Business Standard

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Categories: Airports Jan 2010