Construction of new taxiway necessitates closure; operations won’t be hit.
The stuck Turkish Airways (TA) aircraft has paved the way for the immediate construction of a new taxiway at Mumbai airport. And to make this possible, the secondary runway 14-32 of Mumbai airport will remain closed for operation from October 10 to January 20. Airport operator, Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL) said that this will not impact operations as the main runway 09-27 will be operational.
On September 2, a TA aircraft Airbus 380-400 veered off the rapid exit taxiway N8 after it landed on the main runway. It took MIAL almost three days to retrieve the aircraft. Thus, they had to use the secondary runway for operations. “This increased the load on runway 14-32 and there were delays and flight diversions. So in case such a situation arises in the future, we want to have more taxiways so that aircraft can vacate the runway facilitating other crafts landing,” said an airport official.
The new taxiway will be built at the end of runway 14 of 14-32 to reduce aircraft runway occupancy time. “To enhance overall airside efficiency at Mumbai airport, MIAL has decided to construct a new taxiway between taxiway E1 and E3,” said the spokesperson for MIAL.
“To facilitate this work, runway 14-32 will be closed for flight operations from October to January. Flight operations will not be impacted as the primary runway will continue to
be used for operations,” she said.
However, an air traffic control (ATC) official cautioned that having only one runway during a busy winter schedule, which also marks the beginning of tourist season, might prove difficult in the time of emergencies. “In case there is an emergency landing and a plane gets stuck on the main runway, the other flights will have to go around or get diverted,” he said.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}