Average delay of only 5 minutes on Day 2 of runways closure at Mumbai airport

Despite a six-hour runway closure at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA), there were no major disruptions on Saturday, the second day of the maintenance work that will continue till March 30. This was primarily because airlines had revised their schedules and decreased daily flights to reduce inconvenience.

According to flightradar24, a Swedish internet-based service, 49 arriving and 155 departing flights were delayed on Saturday.

The two runways of CSMIA, which handle approximately 950 flights daily, will be shut down on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, between 11am and 5pm till March 30 for re-carpeting and overlay work.

Airport officials said flight operations, which resumed at 5pm, did not see major disruptions. According to flightradar24, there was an average delay of around five minutes, which is routine at Mumbai airport. Airlines said they had revised their schedule to ensure the delays were limited. Jet Airways said it had cancelled 45 departing flights — a quarter of its daily operations — including five international flights, as part of the new schedule during the maintenance. The spokesperson for Jet Airways said, “The airline has tried to minimise guest inconvenience by rescheduling 26% of its flights operated before and after the runway closure period on the three days. Guests have also been informed about alternate flights and schedule changes.” The spokesperson added real-time updates are available on the site.

IndiGo, which operates 103 daily flights out of Mumbai, cancelled nearly a third of its operations.

“We are operating flights to alternate destinations wherever possible. IndiGo will ensure to accommodate passengers on alternate flights. Thirty departing flights were affected from Mumbai due to the closure,” said an IndiGo spokesperson.

First Published: Feb 10, 2019 00:57 IST