Airport’s Runway 28 to be shut for repairs from April 2

During the closure of the main runway,air traffic movement would be managed by simultaneous use of Runways 27 and 29,the ministry said in a statement. “The repair work at Runway-28 would be carried out in a phased manner,so as to ensure minimum inconvenience for taxiing aircrafts,” the statement said.

The last resurfacing of runway was done in the year 1999.

On Wednesday,Civil Aviation Secretary M Madhavan Nambiar reviewed the preparedness of the DIAL to handle traffic at the Indira Gandhi International Airport during the closure of the main runway.

The ministry has asked the DIAL to “ensure that only the optimum construction period be utilised and all possible efforts be made to jump start the process”.

Meanwhile,a statement issued by the DIAL said the operator was “committed to complete the rehabilitation work of the runway before the Commonwealth Games. Due to increase in traffic and heavier aircraft,the runway surface has got distressed and requires rehabilitation”.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation had earlier carried out an inspection of the runway and had concluded that the runway was a need of major repair works. The Civil Aviation ministry would review the operations during this period “very frequently”.

An official at the DIAL said the work has been scheduled for this period as the “fog season is just over and the runway would be available for operations before the next winter”.

The DIAL has also been asked to keep a contingency plan ready in case of disruption of work at either at Runway 27 or Runway 29 during this period.

Runway 29-11 was commissioned in August 2008,while Runway 27-09 was rehabilitated in late 2009.