NEW DELHI: Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport will go in for a major upgrade resulting in the closure of one of its runways till September 15.
A total of 114 daily flights, both incoming and outgoing, will be cancelled during this period. Additionally, 86 arrival and departing flights will be rescheduled on a daily basis.
Briefing newspersons on Friday at the new Udaan Bhavan near Terminal 3, CEO of Delhi International Airport Limited, Videh Kumar Jaipuriar, said,
"Delhi airport operates 1,400 flights daily. The 114 flights that will be cancelled represents only between 7 and 7.5% of that figure. Passengers will face inconvenience in the short term, but definitely stand to benefit in the long run."
One of the two ends of the runway 10/28, which is not CAT-3 compliant as on this date, will be made into one by upgrading its Instrument Landing System (ILS). This would allow flights to land in extreme fog conditions. We are making it ready before the festive season starts," Jaipuriar said.
A new slot plan has been prepared in consultation with the Ministry of Civil Aviation, the airlines, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation and the Air Traffic Control.
Due to the extreme weather conditions like heavy rain and hailstorms at the airport, a Climate Mitigation Plan is being prepared for the airport. "The report will guide the airport on managing the situation. A private agency is preparing it and it would be submitted to us by the end of this year "
Salim Chaudhary, the Vice President of Airport Operations, Air India, said, "Air India was working in collaboration with DIAL and other stakeholders."