Flying to Delhi? Be ready for delays due to runway repairs

Those flying to Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) may face inconvenience as the airport is set to undertake some necessary and preventive repair works on runway 10/28. An airport official said the repair work is expected to start from April 5 and take a week to be completed.

Till runway 10/28 is shut, runways 09/27 and 11/29 will be fully available round the clock to handle the traffic, the official added.

"These two runways would be sufficient to take care of the current air traffic movement. Once the repair work is completed and the runway becomes operational, the airside efficiency of IGI Airport will improve," airport operator Delhi International Airport (P) Ltd said in a statement.

According to the International Civil Aviation Organization guidelines, the lifespan of a typical runway pavement worldwide is around 20 years, yet airport operators must carry out the necessary repair works once every five to six years in a bid to eradicate any early sign of runway pavement distress or cracks. These global guidelines recommend that the pavement engineer must assess and repair the runway regularly in a time-bound and scientific manner.