Republic Day rehearsals to hit about 900 flights at Delhi's IGI Airport: Report

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Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport will remain shut for a few hours from January 18-26 due to airspace restrictions for Republic Day rehearsals. The closure of the airspace will be on January 18 and January 20- 24 and January 26 for the Republic Day Parade.

“A NOTAM (Notice to Airmen) has been issued regarding the operational restrictions from January 18-26. The issuance of NOTAM for the period leading up to Republic Day is a routine process which happens every year,” a source said to The Indian Express. Every day, the services from the airport will be affected between 10.45 am to 12.15 pm, and it is estimated that a total of 900 flights will be affected. With rehearsals to be carried out on January 18, January 20 to 24, there will be relaxation in the suspension on 19 January, said news agency ANI.

Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) has asked Air India to cancel seven departures and five arrivals. The new slot-management system called the ‘profile schedule’ will be used and three runways will handle nearly 73 flights per hour. During the period, domestic flights will be cancelled, and airlines have been informed well in advance. “All airlines are aware of the closure. They would have made arrangements accordingly. The airport will try to accommodate as many rescheduled flights as possible, but given the slot constraints at Delhi airport, a considerable number of flights may eventually get cancelled," a person aware of the development told News18.

In 2018, airspace closure due to Republic Day rehearsals impacted over 1,000 flights. The rehearsals coupled with dense fog blanketing the capital city may increase the number of flights affected this year.

Delhi airport is one of the busiest airports in the world and handles over 1,200 flights a day. Last year, the airport handled 65.7 million passengers, and as per the centre for Asia Pacific Aviation, it is estimated that the airport will handle over 80 million passengers by 2019-20