BENGALURU: The reconstruction of the old runway at Kempegowda International Airport will be completed in a week and will be opened for use by the end of March, Deputy Chief Minister Dr C N Ashwath Narayan said on Monday after inspecting the ongoing work.He said the illumination has been installed along the mid-section of the 4km-long runway to increase convenience of the movement of flights. Underground drainage and airfield light facilities have also been installed, the Deputy Chief Minister said.
Flights and all operations are currently being conducted from the new runway. Once the old runway is opened for operations, the airport will be able to handle 60-75 lakh travellers annually. Before the Covid-19 pandemic struck, KIA handled 33 million passengers annually, which has now come down to 12 million.