Sardar Vallabhai Patel International Airport could be closed from 3rd January 2022 till May 31, 2022, from 9 am to 6 pm except on public holidays and Sundays for runway repairs. The Adani Group has been managing the airport since late 2020.
“The runway maintenance and closure was initially proposed from 10th November 2021 to 31st May 2022. However, owing to the onset of the festive season and feedback from the industry fraternity we are evaluating the condition and reducing the closure period to make the airport available for our passengers. Accordingly, we have already applied to DGCA for a revised schedule starting from 3rd January 2022 till May 2022 from 9 am to 6 pm except on public holidays and Sundays. This is to ensure reduced passenger inconvenience and a seamless service experience during this period,” a spokesperson for the airport said.
The spokesperson added that the work will focus on “Runway Overlaying, Runway Strip Grading and Slope assessment, Runway End Safety Area (RESA) Grading and Slope assessment, along with Stormwater drain construction and Reinstallation of Signages on maneuvering area.”
The schedules of runway maintenance closures are mandatory procedures in line with international safety standards and to ensure aircraft safety and increase runway life. “Therefore, all the relevant stakeholders under the guidance of the safety regulator have been consulted and given ample notice to revise schedules in order to ensure minimal passengers' inconvenience during the said period,” the spokesperson added.
On Thursday morning pilots had shared the Notice to Airmen, or NOTAM A1263/21, which was issued on September 12 putting the start date of the airport closure on November 10, 2021, at 3.30 a.m. and end date on May 31, 2022, at 12.30 pm. The NOTAM had also said that the closure will be excluding Sunday and seven national holidays, the last of which falls on May 3, 2022.
Networkthoughts had broken the news of the airport’s closure on Thursday morning stating that “the closure window is from 0900hrs local time to 1800hrs local time on all days except Sunday. Seven days which are National Holidays have also been exempted from the closure hours. Sources in the Airports Authority of India said the closure was for runway repairs.
V.P. Agarwal, former Chairman, Airports Authority of India told Moneycontrol that since Ahmedabad is a “single-runway airport hence re-scheduling is done to allow 8 hours of work and releasing the runway for operations. It is standard procedure.”
However, pilots question the period of closure of the airport pointing out that Ahmedabad is an alternate airport for flights coming to Delhi, Jaipur and Amritsar airports in case they are affected by fog in winter. Typically, December and January see a lot of fog building up in North India. Ahmedabad is also the alternate airport for flights that are unable to land in Mumbai.
The International Civil Aviation Organisation calls an Alternate Aerodrome an aerodrome to which an aircraft may proceed when it becomes either impossible or inadvisable to proceed to or land at the aerodrome of intended landing where the necessary services and facilities are available, where aircraft performance requirements can be met and which is operational at the expected time of use.
According to pilots, major maintenance work should ideally be done at the night to avoid minimum disruption to flights during the day.
“The closure of Ahmedabad airport will mean that aircraft will have to carry extra fuel to be able to reach their further alternate airport,” a pilot pointed out.
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