Delhi Airport Runway Upgrade: 114 Flights Cancelled, 86 Rescheduled Over 3 Months

There’s an important update from New Delhi. DIAL (Delhi International Airport Limited) has announced that around 114 daily flights will be cancelled for 3 months due to planned runway repair and upgrade work. The flights will be resumed from September 15. 

Delhi Airport To Cancel And Reschedule Flights

Delhi airport operator DIAL confirmed on Friday that 114 flights will be cancelled and 86 more will be rescheduled. This is due to an upgrade planned for runway RW 10/28, according to a report by NDTV. These 114 flights make up around 7.5% of the airport’s daily operations and will remain cancelled from 15 June to 15 September. The upgrade aims to make RW 10/28 CAT III compliant, which will allow pilots to operate flights safely even in low visibility. Fog during winter often affects flight schedules in Delhi, and this upgrade will help reduce disruptions and improve flight operations.

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Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA), one of India’s busiest and largest airports, handles around 1450 flights every day. It has four runways : RW 09/27, RW 11R/29L, RW 11L/29R and RW 10/28. The upgrade will focus on RW 10/28. IGIA also has two operational terminals, T1 and T3, while T2 remains closed for maintenance and repair work.

RW 10/28 To Remain Shut From 15 June To 15 September

According to NDTV, DIAL CEO Videh Kumar Jaipuriar confirmed that RW 10/28 will be non-operational from 15 June for 3 months. The upgrade was originally planned for April and May but was delayed due to changes in wind patterns and flight schedules. The Ministry of Civil Aviation has now approved the work to begin. RW 10/28 will reopen on 15 September, while the ILS (Instrument Landing System) upgrade will be completed by 27 November,  just before the fog season begins.

In total, 200 flights will be affected,  114 will be cancelled, and 86 will be rescheduled. However, DIAL said the disruption won’t majorly affect travellers, as all passengers are being informed in advance.

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This upgrade will help ease congestion on RW 10/28 and improve the flight operations during foggy weather. Changing wind patterns and weather shifts often delay flight operations for up to 6 hours. The new upgrade will make it easier for pilots to land safely and on time, even during low visibility.

Cover Image Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons/ Bharata H S