City airport’s main runway shut from Nov 4 to March 28

The city airport’s main runway, which was scheduled to be shut for six days a week — from November 1 to March 28, 2020 — for re-carpeting work, will now be closed

The city airport’s main runway, which was scheduled to be shut for six days a week — from November 1 to March 28, 2020 — for re-carpeting work, will now be closed from November 4 to March 28. The Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL), the airport operator, postponed the rehabilitation and re-carpeting work on the main runway, 09/27, citing the “prolonged monsoon” in the city.

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During the course of work, all flight operations will be operated from the secondary runway — 14/32.

A statement issued by MIAL stated, “Owing to the prolonged monsoon, runway re-carpeting work at CSMIA [Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus] has been postponed. According to the revised date, runway 09/27 will not be available for aircraft operations, from November 4, 2019, to March 28, 2020, six days of the week, from Mondays to Saturdays, between 09.30 hours IST to 17.30 hours IST, owing to major rehabilitation and re-carpeting work. However, during the closure of runway 09/27, runway 14/32 will be available for aircraft operations. Runway 09/27 will be available for operations on all Sundays, and on the following dates due to public holidays and festivals: December 25, January 1, 2020, January 26, February 19, February 21, March 10 and March 25.”

While the Mumbai airport handles around 1,000 aircraft movements every day, the main runway handles around 50 flights every hour. Earlier this year, the airport had shut down operations on the main runway from February 7 and March 30, for five hours on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. The airport had cut down 230 of its daily average of 950 flights. The Mumbai airport’s secondary runway, which cuts across the main one, is shorter and not as wide, making it less efficient and not allowing it to handle an equal number of flight operations as the main runway, and leading to delays.