Closed for repairs for a month, Delhi airport runway reopens
Over the last month, flight operations have been disrupted at the IGIA due to the double whammy of the closure of the runway and bad weather
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Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport reopens earlier than scheduled.
(File Photo)Nearly a month after Runway 28/10, one of the four runways at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) in Delhi, was closed for maintenance, it reopened on Tuesday in a relief to flyers.
Over the last month, flight operations have been disrupted at the IGIA due to the double whammy of the closure of the runway and bad weather. With Runway 28/10 operational now, the flight delays are likely to reduce.
On Tuesday, 271 flights were delayed by an average of 20 minutes, as of 6 pm, according to Flightradar24, a flight tracking website.
“Operations at the airport are smooth today,” an airport official said. “Whatever delays were there, they happened because of the easterly winds,” the source added. The change in wind patterns significantly affects the flight operations, according to officials.
“Due to the shifting wind patterns in the vicinity of the airport, Air Traffic Flow Management (ATFM) measures for flight arrivals have been implemented from 7:30 pm till 10:30 pm IST today…All other airport operations and all runways at Delhi airport continue to function as scheduled. However, certain flight arrivals may experience delays or adjustments,” the Delhi airport said in a post on X at 7:03 pm.
The Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL)-operated IGIA had shut down Runway 28/10 on April 9 for maintenance. As per the initial plan, it was expected to reopen in July after it had been made capable of handling low-visibility operations from both ends.
However, on its official account, the Delhi airport on Tuesday posted, “As per the approved plan with all stakeholders, Delhi airport handed over RW 28/10 to ATC at 8:04 am today for operation till mid June.
This addition will further aid in streamlining operations and smoother arrivals and departures for passengers in the unseasonal varying wind conditions that are continuing.”
Amid the disruption in operations over the last few weeks, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, and Shiv Sena MP Milind Deora had joined the chorus on the growing passenger inconvenience.
“As per standard procedure, the DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation) will soon conduct a detailed inspection, and regular flight operations are expected to resume soon. As per the approved plan, Runway 28/10 will be closed again from mid-June to mid-Sep’ 25, following the peak tourist season, when wind direction is also expected to shift,” the Delhi airport said in a post on X Monday. The runway was scheduled for upgrade in April, as easterly winds were expected to blow from May.
This year, however, Delhi witnessed an early onset of the easterly winds. Due to this, the number of flights that the airport could operate reduced from 42 per hour to 32 per hour, as per officials.
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