Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu on Monday (April 28) said that the aviation ministry is “closely monitoring every process” at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) amid the rising concerns over air traffic congestion and flight delays.
IGI Airport, which is the country’s busiest airport, has recently witnessed operational disruptions and flight delays due to the closure of one runway for upgradation work, compounded by seasonal easterly winds.
Addressing criticism that runway maintenance could have been better planned, Naidu assured, “We are closely monitoring each and every process that is happening at the airport… we have guided them to ensure better planning in the future”.
Delhi airport runway upgradation work on hold
Meanwhile, Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL), the airport operator, has decided to temporarily suspend the upgradation work on runway RW 10/28 — which spans around 3,800 metres — with operations expected to resume in early May.
“… 900 metres of the runway is going to be completed now, the process of renovation. The much bigger part is going to be taken up later… this is the season when there is lot of travel… we told them not to do anymore work at this point of time, whatever major work is pending, that will be taken up when the travel season is down. Probably, we are expecting it (the work to restart) in July or August,” the minister said.
The minister also mentioned that the operational situation at IGIA has improved compared to last week when wind conditions severely impacted flight movements.
Delhi airport is equipped with four runways — RW 09/27, RW 11R/29L, RW 11L/29R, and RW 10/28. Runway RW 10/28, which currently does not support CAT III operations (critical for low-visibility conditions), was closed for essential maintenance earlier this week.