Runway Rumble: Delhi Flyers Face Turbulence as Main Strip Takes a Break

Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) is grappling with severe flight delays after the closure of its crucial runway 10/28 for upgrades, causing widespread disruption during the peak summer travel season. The runway, shut since April 8 to facilitate an Instrument Landing System (ILS) upgrade, has reduced the airport’s arrival capacity from 46 to just 36 flights per hour, with some days seeing over 400 flights disrupted and delays averaging over 40 minutes for departures.

 

The crisis deepened as a result of the sudden premature onset of easterly winds, further constraining the operational flexibility of the airport. The airlines, not anticipating the magnitude of the impact, were compelled to weigh canceling or postponing flights, incurring potential losses of up to ₹1,000 crore.

 

In response to this, a high-level meeting between the Civil Aviation Ministry, Airports Authority of India (AAI), Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL), and airlines decided to reopen temporarily runway 10/28 in the next fortnight on non-precision approaches to relieve congestion. The runway will be closed again in mid-June to finalize the ILS upgrade before the winter fog season.

 

Passengers are requested to brace for further delays until the runway is back to full operations.

 

Sources: Economic Times, Hindustan Times, Times of India