MIAL completes work on runway intersection

The project necessitated the closure of the full length main runway (09-27) for a period of six hours from 1200 to 1800 hrs. During this period,a shortened runway designated as 27A was put to use restricting flight operations at the airport to a maximum of single aisle aircraft of the likes of Boeing 737s and Airbus A320s from 1300 hrs to 1700 hrs every Tuesday.

As many as 1,353 aircraft movements were carried out on the shortened runway over the past 22 Tuesdays. The project that ended on Tuesday began on October 27,2009. According to an MIAL spokesperson,reconstruction was carried out on a total area of 54,000 sq metres in which the intersection was completely relaid.

“Around 24,207 metric tonnes of asphalt that included materials such as concrete,bitumen,aggregate etc. were used for the reconstruction. A workforce comprising 61 engineers and more than 500 field workers worked for the project. Over 100 light and heavy machines comprising excavators,millers,rollers,trench cutters etc were moved on to the runway intersection every Tuesday to carry out the task,” said the spokesperson.

The Air Traffic Controllers (ATC) on November 3 had directed a Go Air flight to avoid landing twice on the Mumbai airport’s shortened runway on Tuesdays as its approach was considered extremely low at just 50 feet above ground level.

On November 11,a Kingfisher ATR aircraft with 42 passengers and four crew members onboard skidded off the airport’s main runway while it was on its way to the parking bay. A few minutes before the ATR skidded off the runway,an Air India flight bounced twice before landing. A DGCA had later de-rostered all six pilots of the three aircraft and charged the concerned airlines of violating regulations.

“Upgradation of the runway infrastructure at CSIA is an integral part of the transformation of the airport. Reconstruction of the runway intersection was a complex project that required detailed planning and co-ordination amongst various agencies,” said Sanjay Reddy,managing director,MIAL.