Editor Mr.Mayank Rawat ( Chief Editor Mr. Rohit Mishra )
New Delhi: The closure of the fourth runway and a change in wind direction to easterly continue to impact flight operations at Indira Gandhi International Airport. Over 200 flights were delayed on Monday, with an average delay of 30 minutes, according to FlightRadar24. However, officials said no flight was diverted due to these reasons. The situation is likely to persist until May 4.
Since runway 28/10 was closed on April 8 for instrument landing system upgradation, takeoffs and landings at the airport are being affected when the wind direction changed from westerly to easterly. The flight delays are causing severe inconvenience to passengers.
Before boarding his flight from Bengaluru to Delhi, a passenger, Pratham, wrote on X on Monday that it looks like he will be a victim of a potential delay in landing at IGIA. “My flight is already delayed by 45 minutes at departure,” he wrote. His flight landed around 6 pm after a delay of one hour.
Delhi Airport wrote on X on Monday that due to the shifting wind pattern in the vicinity of the airport, certain airline operations may experience delays. “Air traffic flow management measures for flight arrivals will be implemented from 2.30 pm to 6.30 pm today by ATC authorities to ensure safe operations, in accordance with international and regulatory protocols, keeping passenger safety as the highest priority,” said Delhi Airport. It asked passengers to stay in touch with their respective airlines for the latest updates on flight schedules.
When easterly winds blow, departures happen from two runways (09 and 11 left or 11L) and arrival only on one (11 right or 11R) because of the orientation of the runways. “However, when westerly winds blow, runway 27 can be used in mixed mode to handle both arrivals and departures while runway 29L and 29R are used for only arrivals and departures, respectively,” an official explained earlier.
The fourth runway is expected to be operational again in the first week of May. “Since the runway was closed for upgradation, the area near the runway was dug up. However, efforts are being taken to make it operational. After the Directorate General of Civil Aviation gives approval, the runway will be made operational,” said an airport official.
However, it will be shut down again around June 15 for upgradation after the peak summer rush is over.
Mayank Rawat
