Operations at the Indira Gandhi International Airport, India's busiest, were affected by an upgrade to Runway 10/28. But Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) hastold the government to brace for worse if the work is delayed.
Officials who attended the urgent meeting called by civil aviation minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu on April 21 said that executives from DIAL informed the government that if the Instrument Landing System (ILS) at RW 10/28 is not upgraded by November, Delhi could face further flight disruptions once the winter's foggy days come into play.
"If the 10/28 runway is not upgraded in a timely manner, there is a chance that it may not be ready for CAT-III B ILS operations in time for the winter season,” a senior executive from DIAL said, one of the people who attended the meeting told Moneycontrol.
The GMR Group-owned airport operator also requested the government to work with all stakeholders to provide a timeline when the work can be carried out and called for better coordination between airlines, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and air traffic control to avoid flight disruptions in the interim.
Faced with air traffic congestion and flight delays, DIAL was forced to suspend the runway upgrade and will reopen it from the first week of May. Around 68 percent of all flights leaving or arriving in Delhi on April 20 were disrupted. According to reports, the average landing delay into Delhi was 38 minutes, while the average take-off delay was 40 minutes.
DIAL and the government are at present looking to allocate time in June-July 2025 when the runway 10/28 can be upgraded.
Despite the government’s intervention, passengers traveling to and from Delhi will likely continue facing delays till the first week of May.
DIAL on April 20 in a series of posts on microblogging site X said that it had asked airlines to adjust their flight schedules in response to easterly wind conditions. However, the airlines did “minimal” changes and this led to significant “operational” challenges for DIAL and air traffic control, causing considerable inconvenience for passengers, the operator said.
Executives from DIAL at the April 21 meeting again blamed poor planning by domestic airlines for the chaos, saying they had been alerted four months in advance about a runway upgrade and the possibility of wind patterns hitting operations.
DIAL, majority owned by GMR Airports, in December had sought the Ministry of Civil Aviation’s approval to close RW 10/28, the main runway, from April 1 for an ILS upgrade to ensure it was ready for winter operations. AAI reviewed the request and the impact it would have on flight operations during the summer.
As part of its review, AAI had said during easterly wind conditions—which normally occur in May—departures would be allowed from runways 09 and 11 left or 11L and arrivals only on 11 right (11R). Similarly, during westerly winds, Runway 27 was designated for both arrivals and departures. Runways 29L and 29R are used for only arrivals and departures, respectively. IGI has four runways.
In its posts on X, DIAL said it has made the decision to temporarily halt the essential ILS upgrade in consultation with stakeholders.
DIAL CEO Videh Kumar Jaipuriar had earlier this month also said that the maintenance work of RW 10/28 would be completed by September, well before the fog season. But the delays in carrying out work so far have raised concerns over this.
At present, only two runways at IGI airport can operate in low visibility conditions from both ends. Runway 10/28, which was to be upgraded over the coming months, can handle low-visibility operations from just one end currently. The upgrade would allow it to operate at both ends during low visibility.
With its four runways and three terminals, IGI Airport on average handles about 2 lakh passengers and 1,400 flights a day.
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