Now,plans to switch between runways to cut taxiing delays at IGI

If the Airports Authority of India has its way,those irritating minutes of aircraft taxiing time could soon be history at the Indira Gandhi International Airport.

If the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has its way,those irritating minutes of aircraft taxiing time could soon be history at the Indira Gandhi International Airport.

Passengers often complain of the long time aircrafts take at the airport to ferry them from the runway to the domestic terminal these range between 20 and 40 minutes,and confines passengers inside the aircraft long after touchdown,or much before take-off. Reason: the new runway 29-11 is nine kilometres from the new domestic terminal 1D; aircraft need to taxi the distance.

To overcome the problem and help airlines save on precious air turbine fuel,AAI and the airport operator Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL),in consultation with the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA),have decided to use the two main runways 28-10 and 29-11 alternatively. The new system is being worked out to cut down such delays and help improve time performance in Delhi.

The new procedure is being considered to minimise taxiing time at the airport, AAI chairman V P Agarwal said. Discussions are on with DGCA,after which trials will be considered.

Agarwal said all airlines will be informed accordingly.

Under the new plan,domestic flights will take off from and land at the main runway 28-10,which is very close to terminal 1D. Runway 29-11 would be used for international flights.

Director General of Civil Aviation Naseem Zaidi told Newsline that the plan is still under consideration.

Trials under the mixed mode have not started yet it will be done once DGCA examines and approves the plan. The idea is to have domestic flight operations from runway 28,and accommodate international operations on the new runway 29, V Somasundaram,Executive Director,Air Traffic Management,said.

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As per the plan,international flights will take off and land between 6 am and 10 pm there is a night curfew in place due to which flights cannot land on runway 29 from the Vasant Kunj side between 10 pm and 6 am. But since there are very few domestic flights during this period,runway 28 will be able to handle both international and domestic operations.

There is no ban on flight operations on runway 29 from the Dwarka side, Somasundaram said,and it can be used for take-off of international flights.

THE PLAN
* Domestic flights to take off,land at main runway 28-10,close to terminal 1D
* International flights to use terminal 29-11 would be used for.
* Trials under the mixed mode have not started yet it will be done once DGCA examines and approves the plan.
V Somasundaram,executive director,Air Traffic Management

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