Runway 11R/29L will be closed for about four months from February. file photo
Gautam Kumar Mishra, New Delhi. Runway 11R/29L, a major runway of IGI, the country's largest airport, is going to be closed for about four months from February. During this period, work will be done on technical upgradation and strengthening of infrastructure.
This may be necessary for the safety of air traffic, but closure of a major runway for four months may cause delays and inconvenience to passengers, especially during foggy weather. This apprehension is therefore based on the experiences of previous years.
In recent years, flight delays have been recorded whenever the runway has been closed for maintenance work. For example, when runway 28/10 was closed for three months, flights were delayed by an average of 15-20 minutes.
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Airport sources say that the technical upgradation works related to the runway include new installation of Instrument Landing System (ILS), resurfacing of the runway, improvement of evacuation system and construction of new rapid exit taxiway. This work is necessary for better operations in fog and bad weather.
The situation can get worse in fog
It is feared that the biggest impact will be in the winter season, when flights are already affected due to fog. The airport operates an average of 1,500 flights per day, and the closure of one runway will increase pressure on the other three runways.
Experts say this could lead to additional delays of 10-30 minutes in landings and takeoffs, especially during rush hours. It is possible that all the airlines associated with flights operating from IGI are already busy preparing for this. They will arrange for alternative routes and additional staff so that the impact is minimal.
The runway was completed in the year 2008
It is a major runway of the airport, which was commissioned in August 2008. This is called the third runway, which is 4,430 meters long. The airport's older runways (e.g. 10/28) date from the 1970s–80s, but 11R/29L was built due to increased traffic at AGI Airport.
Experts say runways typically undergo major repairs every decade. However, minor maintenance works continue on a regular basis.
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