IGI Runway Maintenance Work to Affect Nearly 100 Flights Daily

Passengers flying through Delhi's Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport could face significant inconvenience starting next month, with airport authorities deciding to cancel and reschedule about 100 flights daily during a crucial runway maintenance period.

- Neha LM Tripathi

NEW DELHI:

Approximately 50 flights will be cancelled and another 50 rescheduled starting June 15 until mid-September, three officials aware of the matter told HT, detailing plans for when runway 28/10 will be shut to upgrade the Instrument Landing System (ILS) to CAT III B standards—instruments that help pilots land in low visibility conditions common during Delhi's foggy winters.

The slashing of services comes after a similar attempt in April led to widespread chaos in flight schedules at the country's busiest airport, forcing authorities to abandon the work.

An average of 721 arrivals and around equal number of departures have been scheduled for the typical day during this period, one of the officials said. "After reviewing air traffic flow, aircraft rotations and operational dependencies, about 100 flights will need to be cancelled or shifted to off-peak hours," the official cited above said.