Passenger inconvenience is likely to be the norm this winter as the main runway at the Mumbai international airport is expected to be closed for a few hours every day for repair. The airport operates two runways, but needs to upgrade and recarpet the main runway 0927.
The upgradation of the runway is likely to start in October and result in increased congestion and flight delays. It could also lead to ‘load penalty’, which means airlines will not be able to carry complete load on some flights as the secondary runway 14/27 is shorter.
“The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) will take a decision on when to begin the recarpeting work.
It will also decide the number of hours the main runway will be closed for operations once work starts,” a spokesperson of the Mumbai International Airport Limited said.
Though a final decision has yet to be taken, the plan involves making the runway code F compliant, which means it would be able to handle A380-type jumbo aircraft for regular operations, he added.
The main runway is 11,300-feet long whereas the secondary runway 9,600-feet. The secondary runway has been recarpeted and was closed between October and March last fiscal.
“We did not see much impact on flights then, other than some delays,” the spokesperson said.
But going by the incidents of near-disasters in recent years, some are clearly apprehensive about the effect the daily closure will have on air traffic.
At present, the Mumbai airport handles 32-34 aircraft movements per hour. With air traffic congestion increasing and prospects of a new airport at Navi Mumbai looking bleak, Union civil aviation minister Praful Patel has expressed apprehensions that no new flights may be allowed on this crowded airport.
The Mumbai airport has lost the numero uno position as the country’s busiest airport to the Delhi international airport. Large carriers such as Air India have already decided to make Delhi their international and domestic hub. This means a lot of Air India traffic could move out of Mumbai to Delhi.
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