Saturday rain led to main runway wearing off, flight delays: MIAL

“After a detailed site inspection on Monday, no potholes were observed on the runway. A thin layer of runway surface had worn off at a particular spot that was rectified on an immediate basis. It was caused due to heavy rains the previous night,” an MIAL official said. Officials from the MIAL said although the surface could have been recarpeted in some time, a NOTAM was issued to ensure safety of operations. While corrective action on the surface took 30 minutes, it took additional time for the cement to dry up and operations to resume. “The MIAL took a decision not to use the runway in the interest of safety, until the damaged surface was rectified,” the official added.

Officials from Air Traffic Control (ATC) said lack of proper maintenance of the runway or problems with aircraft landing and take off are some of the reasons for damage of runways. “Flight services were delayed by 25-30 minutes on Monday. We report of a problem when a pilot or operator informs us. Such technical issues on runways are prevalent during rains,” said Rajiv Saxena, General Manager, Air Traffic Control.

The MIAL had carried out re-carpeting work of the main runway in November and December last year to ensure better technical maintenance. “The surface where we had carried out the re-carpeting work was not damaged,” the MIAL official added. The airport handles 900 flight services a day.