VISAKHAPATNAM: Services of 12 domestic and one international flight will be affected at the Visakhapatnam Airport for four months from November as operations will be suspended in the night for carrying out resurfacing works of the runway.
Speaking to TNIE, Visakhapatnam Airport director S Raja Reddy said, “The runway was resurfaced in 2009 last. As per the prerequisite, these works should be carried out once every 10 years.”
Authorities at INS Dega had convened a meeting with the airlines and informed them about the decision to suspend night services, he said and added that it has been proposed to close the runway from 9 PM to 8 AM for 11 hours daily from November 15 till March 15.
Raja Reddy said he has urged the naval authorities to suspend flight operations from 10.30 PM to 6.30 AM or 7 AM for eight hours instead of 11 hours to minimise the impact on passenger movement.
“Flights bound to Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Pune and Bengaluru in the domestic sector and Singapore in the international sector are most likely to be affected. The winter schedule will have to be based on the proposed timings of the naval authorities. We have already informed the headquarters about the closure of the runway in the night,” he added.
He pointed out that if timings are relaxed, the airlines may reschedule arrivals and departures within permissible timings. However, their decision will largely depend on the availability of slots and demand in other sectors.