Mumbai (Maharashtra): The two cross runways of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) in Mumbai will be closed for six hours on October 17 as part of the scheduled maintenance work, which is an annual affair. Hence, no aircraft will land or take off from the two runways, which will be taken up for repair work post-monsoon wear and tear.
The landing and departure of flights on runways--07-27 and 14-32--will be put on hold from 11 am to 5 pm. A notification to this effect was issued to airmen, pilots and stakeholders six months in advance about undertaking the annual maintenance work of the two cross runways.
The Mumbai airport is one of the busiest airports in the world as well as in the country. "To maintain punctuality and safety of airline passengers, the annual upkeep of runways of the airport is carried out. During the rainy season, runways develop potholes or cracks. The annual maintenance work is carried out to keep the airport infrastructure in a robust state," stated the Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL) on Friday.
Meanwhile, the volume of airline passengers is expected to pick up during the festive season, which is in November. On October 17, the day of the maintenance work of the runway -- the volume of fliers was projected to be the leanest in domestic sectors--apart from this, the airfare has also not gone up on October 17. During the maintenance work, aircraft will make landings or departures on alternative runways at the Mumbai airport. Similarly, Delhi, Bengaluru and Hyderabad have parallel runways for keeping the airports' operations running.
