Mumbai, Sep 20: Passengers travelling to and from Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) between February 16 and April 3, 2019 are likely to witness major delays in flight services due to repair work on the runway. The Mumbai airport that has two cross runways that handle 950 aircraft daily on an average. Against this, the Delhi airport, with three runways, handles around 78 flights during peak hours. Reports inform that the main runway (09-27) handles maximum flight operations, while the secondary runway is used when the main runway is not available.

According to a report by Hindustan Times, a senior airport official informed that the runway work is done every seven years and was last done in 2011-12. He further added that re-carpeting and overlay work of the runway intersection could lead to major disruptions during the two months. According to the HT report, a senior official from Airports Authority of India (AAI) confirmed the development and said a notice to airmen (NOTAM, notice filed to intimate pilots about the schedule change) will be issued soon. Mumbai Airport Extends Check-in Facility to Six Hotels, List of Places to Get Boarding Pass, Baggage Tag

The report quoted an official said the runways will be shut for six hours on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 11 am to 5 pm and the information has been communicated to all stakeholders so that passengers are informed about their flight status. According to the HT report, all flights operating between 11am to 5pm will be cancelled until the intersection work is completed. CSIA undergoes routine runway maintenance work on Tuesdays and Thursdays every week from 2 pm to 5 pm.

Earlier this year in April, around 120 flights were cancelled and several were rescheduled due to a two-day closure of the Mumbai International Airport runway for pre-monsoon maintenance activities. According to an IANS report, an official said the planned closure was necessitated  for maintenance activities and requested all passengers to contact their respective airlines for revised travel schedules.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 20, 2018 11:31 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).